Our thanks to reader Jason Merriott for forwarding the following letter from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The identity of the author of the letter is omitted by us as a matter of protocol though the letter itself is entirely authentic.
Dear Mr Merriott,
Thank you for your correspondence of 29 December to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society, Tracey Crouch MP, and the concerns you raise with regard to the funding of greyhound welfare via the voluntary levy on bookmakers’ profits. As I am sure you will appreciate, the Minister is unable to respond to all the letters she receives. I am replying as a member of the Ministerial Support Team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.
The Government supports the existing voluntary agreement between betting and greyhound racing, through which funding is provided for welfare and other areas. However, we recognise the challenges the sport has faced in recent years in light of declining contributions to the British Greyhound Racing Fund. The voluntary levy is currently paid by approximately 90% of land-based operators, and the Government expects all operators – including online operators – to contribute their fair share towards supporting the greyhound industry and ensuring that integrity and welfare standards are maintained.
In March 2017, the Minister for Sport wrote to trade bodies representing online betting operators to ask that they take part in discussions, to be chaired by Lord Lipsey, to improve the current funding position. Lord Lipsey’s work has resulted in progress, with the recent commitment from Ladbrokes Coral Group to follow Bet 365’s lead and contribute to the voluntary levy from its online business from January 2018. It is estimated that this will generate ca. £0.75m per year in additional funds, which will provide a welcome boost to the sport and strengthen the industry’s ability to meet and exceed its commitments in relation to welfare and integrity.
We welcomed the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB) recent commitment to invest any further voluntary levy payments from bookmakers into the welfare needs of racing and retired greyhounds, and to develop a strategic, long-term plan for the sport. The Government is confident that Lord Lipsey’s work will result in progress and deliver more funding for greyhound welfare, in particular in light of the GBGB’s renewed commitment to prioritise spending in this area.
I would like to thank you again for your engagement on this issue, and hope that the above information is helpful in explaining the work the Government is undertaking to improve the funding situation for greyhound welfare.
Yours sincerely
Ministerial Support Team
