'I'm very close to giving up'

Betting and racing fans are leaving the sport or turning to the black market because of intrusive affordability checks. The Gambling Commission has mandated the most intrusive form of the checks, which are intrusive and violate civil liberties. Betting industry income from betting via the levy and media rights was estimated at £262 million a year in 2019. The Racing Post asked readers to contact the newspaper with their experiences of affordability check. Many of them have negative feelings about it. It's a serious concern for the betting and racehorses industry. They are concerned about the impact on racing.

Mike is considering giving up gambling. Fenn and Langdon are considering it too. They are frustrated by the restrictions of stakes and affordability checks. They can't back horses with traditional online bookies. There is no legislation yet. For people like them it's finished. It's like they are victimising punters.

Flutter Entertainment is the parent company of Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet. It was one of the first operators to put its own affordability checks in place. Flutter has invested over £60m in safer gambling in the last two years. Entain, parent of Coral and Ladbrokes, and bet365 were contacted for comment. Part three of our series on affordability check is available to read from 6pm on Thursday. Bill Barber explores the effect affordability tests are having on the racing industry.