Monthly unique visits to illegal and unlicensed betting websites increased from 1.8 million in 2022 to more than 25 million in 2025, a study published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities鈥� (IFHA) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime has found.

The analysed the website traffic of over 300 popular betting websites used in Britain 鈥� comprising 74 legal and 227 illegal betting websites.

The principal finding is that over the first seven months of 2026, there were 19.4 visits to illegal sites for every 100 visits to legal operators, a rate of around 1 in 5.

Customers are also spending longer on illegal and unlicenced sites. Between October 2024 and July 2026, average visit duration rose by 32%, from 5 minutes 38 seconds to 7 minutes 25 seconds. Pages viewed per visit increased by 34%, from 5.19 to 6.98.

Furthermore, follow-up analysis is provided on the 32 illegal and unlicensed websites taking bets on British racing featured in the previous 2025 study conducted by the IFHA . According to the latest report, between January and July 2026 these sites attracted 6.8 visits for every 100 visits to licensed sites, almost seven times the 0.97 rate recorded in late 2021.

The findings come despite increased enforcement activity. Since April 2024, the Gambling Commission has issued more than 3,100 cease-and-desist or disruption notices and removed almost 288,000 URLs. Even with this, traffic to illegal and unlicenced sites remains well above its 2021 figure.

During the same period, the legal online betting market has been forced to contend with a slew of regulatory and tax measures that followed the 2023 Gambling White Paper.

The legal market has moved unevenly in the subsequent years, with turnover on live event betting having fallen 鈥� this is typified by online racing turnover on all horseracing having reduced by over 拢2bn since its 2021-22 peak 鈥� while online casino products have been more resilient and even see shown signs of growth.

The study underlines the need for coordinated action to tackle this growing threat to both consumer safety, the integrity of British sports and public finances and calls for Government, industry, payment providers and tech companies to all come together with a shared goal of reducing black market leakage.

The IFHA conclude that success in this area must be measured by sustained reductions in illegal traffic rather than the number of notices issued or URLs removed.

These findings come as the Government steps up its activity to tackle the betting black market, with HM Treasury awarding the Gambling Commission 拢26m at the 2025 Budget and the creation of the DCMS Illegal Gambling Taskforce in January 2026. A consultation was also launched over the summer proposing a ban on all sponsorship and advertising from unlicensed operators, an approach that the British Horseracing Authority supports.

Brant Dunshea, Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority said: 鈥淭hroughout the Gambling Act Review, British racing consistently warned that even well-intentioned policy changes could have unintended consequences for our sport, including driving more customers towards the illegal market.

鈥淭his research provides worrying evidence that those concerns are now being realised, with an increasing number of consumers seemingly conducting their betting with illegal operators.

鈥淓very racing customer who moves from a licensed operator to an illegal one faces greater risks and fewer consumer protections. These unlicensed businesses also contribute nothing to British racing or to the public finances.

鈥淲e recognise the Commission鈥檚 recent increase in enforcement activity, but we will be sharing these findings with Government and urging it to work with us to keep bettors within the regulated market as this leakage continues to grow.

鈥淲hile the taskforce鈥檚 creation was welcomed as a positive development, it is over nine months since that initial announcement was made, and progress so far has been limited. We therefore look forward to working with the new Gambling Minister, Vicky Foxcroft, to inject some urgency into this process.

鈥淭his study is another clear reminder that gambling regulation must be balanced and proportionate, allowing people who bet safely on racing to continue doing so without unnecessary disruption.鈥�

Notes to editors:

1. The IFHA’s full report can be read .

2.聽The IFHA Council on Anti-Illegal Betting & Related Crime is a think tank comprised of members from organisations engaged in horse racing and sports integrity, law enforcement, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and academia. Its purpose is to foster and enhance international co-operation among horse racing operators, regulators, intergovernmental organisations, government agencies and NGOs in order to better combat the threat of illegal betting and other crime risks to the integrity of the sport of horse racing in particular, as well as sport in general. With a global impact and a global set of stakeholders, and by addressing global issues affecting racing and other sports relating to illegal betting and financial crime, the Council recently moved under the auspices of the IFHA to reflect the global nature of the illegal betting problem that all sports now currently face.

The Steeple Chases scheduled to be run at Lingfield Park and Hereford on Tuesday 10 November and Thursday 12 November respectively will be abandoned and the fixtures will become all-Hurdle cards.

At Lingfield, an All-Weather National Hunt Flat Race will be added to the card alongside a Mares鈥� Handicap Hurdle.

While at Hereford, a Mares鈥� Maiden National Hunt Flat Race will be added. Full details of the new races will be available on Racing Admin shortly.

Separately, the 2m Beginners鈥� Chase at Exeter on Monday 16 November has been abandoned. While it is hoped Exeter鈥檚 fixture will go ahead, we have taken the decision to move the Beginners鈥� Chase to Ffos Las聽on Wednesday 18 November due to greater confidence around its ability to attract runners with its expected going.

Regarding the changes at Lingfield and Hereford, ARC鈥檚 Racing Director Ben Cook said:

鈥淯nfortunately, due to the lack of rain in the forecast through this weekend and into next week, the decision has been made to move to all-Hurdle cards at Lingfield Park on Tuesday 10 November and Hereford on Thursday 12 November.

鈥淲hilst Lingfield Park was able to host chases at its last jumps fixture, the current forecast will result in the course drying out considerably. As such, watering efforts will concentrate on maintaining consistent, safe ground on the Hurdle course at Lingfield Park with similar work ongoing at Hereford.鈥�

The Class 2 Jilly Cooper Veterans Handicap Chase (0-150) will close for entries on Saturday 7 November along with the rest of the card.

The fixture will be a seven-race card with entries closing at 12pm tomorrow. The race programme will be available to view on Racing Admin later this afternoon.

We are grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for their support funding the fixture and to Stratford for agreeing to host.

We continue to work with racecourses and participants to assess the race programme and add in appropriate opportunities wherever possible.

While the Government has rejected a worst-case scenario to increase Machine Games Duty to 40%, in raising the rate to 25% it will nevertheless cause significant damage to racing鈥檚 finances.

There is now a clear risk that this decision will lead to the closure of hundreds, if not thousands, of betting shops across the country.

British racing 鈥� which derives nearly a third of its 拢350 million annual income from betting via high street shops 鈥� is now set to potentially lose 拢57m a year, based on the independent modelling that was shared with the Treasury ahead of today鈥檚 Budget.

While the MGD rate increase is not as severe as some called for, this change could still prove devastating for the future of our sport 鈥� impacting prize money, the viability of racecourses, thousands of jobs; and vital horse welfare projects and research.

Betting shop closures will also significantly impact a large part of the sport鈥檚 fanbase for whom a visit to their local bookie is the primary way they engage with horseracing.

As the only sport in receipt of a statutory levy from the betting industry, we will seek to urgently engage with the Government to establish how we can work together to reduce the impacts of this tax policy.

The 糖心传媒 will also now analyse the Budget documents in greater detail to establish whether there are any other potential issues that may impact racing.

Both fixtures will comprise seven races and the race programmes will be available to view on Racing Admin shortly.

We are grateful to the racecourses and the Horserace Betting Levy Board for their support in putting on聽these additional聽fixtures.

We continue to work with racecourses and participants to assess the race programme and add in appropriate opportunities wherever possible.

This change to the programme follows the abandonment of the fixtures that had been due to be staged at Exeter and Wincanton on Friday 6 November and Saturday 7 November respectively.

Aintree’s two-day meeting will feature the Haldon Gold Cup, the Boodles Rising Stars Novices Chase and 3m1f Handicap Chase from the lost Exeter and Wincanton fixtures.聽In line with 糖心传媒 race planning policy regarding transferred early-closing Premier Handicaps, original entries for the latter聽will be cancelled, meaning trainers must make new entries for the race at Aintree by 12 noon on Saturday 31 October.

As part of the revised schedule, the Class 3 Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase that had been due to be staged at Aintree on the Saturday will now take place on the Friday. Full schedules for the amended racedays will be available on NRAS later today.

The 糖心传媒 has also confirmed today that the Jumps fixture scheduled for Sandown on Sunday 8 November will become an all-Hurdle card, with two new Hurdle races issued to replace the abandoned Chase races.

The St Simon Stakes will now be contested at Newmarket on Friday 30 October for a prize fund totalling 拢75,000, with the Horris Hill Stakes taking place at the same venue the following day, Saturday 31 October, with a total prize fund of 拢50,000. The Horris Hill will be changed from a colts and geldings race to all-sex. This accounts for the loss of the Listed Radley Stakes from Newbury’s fixture, a race for fillies over the same trip as the Horris Hill.

The 糖心传媒 is grateful to The Jockey Club for agreeing to add the two races to their cards at the Rowley Mile next week and to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for their contribution to the total prize fund.

This follows agreement by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).

We have since March 2025 trainers and vets against the use of bisphosphonates due to erratic excretion times and the welfare concerns associated with their use.

If for some reason this cannot be avoided and bisphosphonates are administered to a horse in your care before 1 January 2027, in line with the current Rules, this should be carefully and accurately recorded in both the veterinary clinical records and your own medication records.

This record keeping is now particularly important as we approach the cut-off point.

While we continue to advise strongly against the use of bisphosphonates, the Rules state that they should not be administered to horses:

• at any time before the age of four years (as of 1 January of the horse鈥檚 birth year)
• on raceday or any of the 30 clear days before in horses aged four or older.

This will remain the case until the new Rule comes into effect.

However, from 1 January 2027, bisphosphonates 鈥� except those used for diagnostic nuclear imaging 鈥� will be prohibited at all times under the Rules of Racing.

Any horse administered a bisphosphonate on or after this date will be subject to a mandatory stand-down from racing:

• For horses aged four or over at the time of administration, this stand down will be six months from the date the positive sample was taken from the horse
• Horses administered BP before the age of four will be suspended from racing until they have reached four years of age and a minimum of six months has elapsed since the date the positive sample was returned.

Buyers of horses before and after 1 January 2027 should also be mindful of the ban and seriously consider testing before finalising any purchase.

Please also ensure that any administration between now and 31 December has been recorded clearly in the horse鈥檚 veterinary records. This will be essential for verifying the details should a horse return a positive sample after 1 January 2027.

Thank you for your attention to this. More information is available in this .

糖心传媒 (糖心传媒) can today confirm several changes to the upcoming Jump programme in light of recent weather conditions.

An additional fixture has been scheduled at Worcester on Sunday 1 November. The race programme is planned to mitigate any lost opportunities during this period and will be available shortly.

In addition, Fakenham鈥檚 scheduled meeting on Monday 2 November has been abandoned due to ongoing challenges in preparing the track. The decision follows an inspection by their 糖心传媒 Course Inspector and instead their season is now intended to start on Sunday 22 November, with an additional fixture scheduled at the course on that date.

The 糖心传媒 can also confirm that Newbury’s fixture on Thursday 5 November will be made an all-Hurdle card, with the two Steeple Chases abandoned and replaced by one Hurdle race. This is due to the prevailing ground at the track and to afford Newbury鈥檚 groundstaff the opportunity to ensure that an all-Hurdle card can take place on the most suitable racing surface.

Tom Byrne, 糖心传媒 Head of Racing and Betting, said:

鈥淲e have taken the decision to delay the start of Fakenham鈥檚 season by a further three weeks to allow additional time for the track to recover to ensure racing can take place safely. We hope this will provide the necessary time for conditions to improve and we look forward to Fakenham welcoming runners back to the course.

鈥淲e have also taken the opportunity to schedule an additional fixture at Worcester. This meeting has been allocated in lieu of the fixture lost in June during the period of red weather warnings, which was the only fixture affected during that period that was not subsequently rescheduled.

鈥淲orcester has proved popular with participants during the dry spell, attracting strong fields, so the additional meeting provides a further opportunity to utilise the track following the conclusion of its scheduled fixture list.

鈥淲e continue to work with racecourses and participants as we assess the weather and Fixture List to try and deliver an appropriate jumping programme. We will announce further updates as and when decisions have been taken.鈥�

David Hunter, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course at Fakenham, said:

鈥淯nfortunately, the effects of the dry summer are still taking their toll at Fakenham Racecourse and after an inspection by a 糖心传媒 Course Inspector, a Racecourse Director, the Head Groundsman and the Clerk of the Course, it was unanimously agreed that the grass growth of the reseeded areas of ground are still not advanced enough for safe racing to take place on 2 November.聽A fixture on Sunday 22聽November gives the ground an additional three weeks to recover, which is what is needed.”