British horseracing betting is moving in two directions. Online turnover fell slightly in the year to March 2026, while on-course turnover reached its highest level since 2011.

The figures were published by the Gambling Commission on 17 September 2026. They show a sharp contrast between online betting and activity at racecourses.

  • Online horseracing betting turnover fell 0.4% year on year to £7.85 billion.
  • On-course turnover rose from £240 million to £270 million.

The data covers Great Britain and licensed operators from April 2025 to March 2026. It excludes Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Online turnover falls while racing yield rises

The online turnover decline was smaller than in the previous reporting period. Turnover fell from more than £10 billion in 2021-22 to £7.88 billion in the year to March 2025.

Despite the lower turnover, remote betting gross gambling yield from horseracing rose by almost 1% to £769.3 million.

Gross gambling yield is the amount operators retain from stakes after paying winnings. It is measured before other costs and taxes.

Horse racing was one of the few major online betting segments to record higher yield. Overall remote betting gross gambling yield fell 7% to £2.45 billion during the same period, according to Racing Post’s analysis of the Gambling Commission figures.

Racecourse betting bucks the wider retail decline

The on-course increase came as Britain’s betting-shop network continued to shrink. The number of betting shops fell to 5,617 in March 2026, down 3.6% from a year earlier.

  • Over-the-counter horseracing turnover in betting shops fell 3.65% to £2.9 billion.
  • Non-remote betting gross gambling yield fell 3.3% to £2.4 billion across the full sector.

The stronger racecourse result does not establish why bettors changed their behaviour. Industry figures have linked the shift to pricing, product availability and customer checks. Those explanations remain claims, not findings by the Gambling Commission.

Affordability checks remain part of the debate

DragonBet co-founder James Lovell told betting.co.uk that restrictions applied away from racecourses were discouraging some customers. He also said changes to tax and betting products had reduced traditional bookmakers’ ability to compete on price.

That argument puts racing’s commercial concerns alongside the regulator’s player-protection duties. Licensed operators in Great Britain must comply with Gambling Commission rules on customer interaction, identity checks, financial risk and harm prevention.

Higher on-course turnover alone cannot show that customers are avoiding online safeguards. It does give policymakers another data point when assessing how regulation affects different betting channels.

Why the split matters for British racing

British racing receives funding through the statutory Horserace Betting Levy. The levy is based on a share of gross gambling yield from bets on British racing, so yield matters more directly than turnover alone.

The latest figures show lower online turnover, higher online racing yield and a rare expansion in on-course betting. They do not, by themselves, explain the change in customer behaviour.

The remote racing yield of £769.3 million implies a levy base of roughly £76.9 million at a 10% rate, before adjustments under the levy system. This is a calculation from the published figure, not the final amount collected by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

Racing also faces pressure from betting-shop closures, higher operator costs and possible future tax changes. Further retail decline could affect media-rights income and other commercial payments that support racecourses and the wider racing economy.

What happens next

  • The Gambling Commission’s figures will remain the main official benchmark for Great Britain’s licensed market.
  • Racing bodies and bookmakers will continue to dispute the effects of affordability checks, product restrictions and tax policy.
  • Policymakers will need to separate verified changes in betting behaviour from industry claims about their causes.

The immediate picture is clear. Online racing betting has stabilised at a lower level, while the racecourse market has expanded. Further evidence will be needed to determine whether that reflects renewed interest in attending races, changes in pricing or a shift away from online restrictions.