UK Horse Racing Sponsorship Drops 17% After Remote Gaming Duty Rise to 40%
Bookmaker sponsorship of UK horse races fell 17% in the first nine months of 2026 after Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40%. Prize money dropped 2.5% (5.5% real terms). A further Machine Games Duty increase could strip £92m yearly from the sport.
SCCG Take — Tax-driven sponsorship cuts are forcing racecourses to diversify beyond traditional betting partners while operators redirect budgets to higher-ROI sports, sharpening commercial pressures on racing’s funding model.
Bookmaker sponsorship of British horse racing declined sharply in 2026 after the government raised Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40% in April. Data reviewed by the Racing Post shows that bookmaker-backed sponsorship of British races dropped by 17% between January and September 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Prize money attached to bookmaker-sponsored races fell 2.5%, equivalent to a 5.5% real-terms decline once inflation is factored in.
Sponsorship Declines by Race Value and Surface
Races without sponsorship or backed only by contra deals rose 16%, while commercial and private sponsorship grew just 3%. Lower-value races suffered most: bookmaker involvement in contests worth less than £10,000 fell from 37.3% to 29%. Races valued between £10,000 and £20,000 saw sponsorship drop to 27.3%. All-weather racing recorded the steepest fall, with bookmaker backing covering 58.2% of races versus 73.3% a year earlier. Flat turf sponsorship declined 5.5% while jumps racing stayed essentially flat with a 0.1% increase. Higher-value races proved more resilient, with sponsorship in the £50,000-£100,000 bracket rising 3.6% to 48.6%.
Operator Cutbacks and Emerging Pressures
Bet365, Betfred and Flutter Entertainment each cut sponsorship activity by more than 15%. Unibet reduced support by 18.5%, JenningsBet by 33%, and Star Sports and BetGoodwin by more than 80%. Bet365 ended deals for Newmarket’s Craven meeting, the Lancashire Oaks and races at Chelmsford, posting a 77% reduction in sponsored races overall. Increased regulatory and tax-related costs have required some tough commercial choices. Smaller firms partially offset the gap, with Midnite sponsoring 369 races and Copybet backing 119. A potential doubling of Machine Games Duty from 20% could remove £92 million annually from racing, roughly one-third of its betting-related income. Racecourses are now weighing audience growth initiatives and alternative commercial ties as further tax changes loom.
Reporting: World Casino News
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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