Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004

Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004[1]
Long titleAn Act to make provision for the sale of the Tote; to make provision for the abolition of the horserace betting levy system; to make provision for the establishment of National Lottery games designed to raise money in connection with the hosting by London of the Olympic Games in 2012; and for connected purposes.
Citation2004 c. 25
Dates
Royal assent28 October 2004
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (c. 25) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Provisions

Horse racing

The Act allowed for the sale of the Horserace Totalisator Board (Tote) to Betfred which had certain conditions.[2] The sale of the Tote was delayed due to a European Commission investigation and the 2008 financial crisis.[3][4]

The Act also abolishes the Horserace Betting Levy Board.[5] The Tote lost its monopoly on pool betting.[6]

Olympic Lottery

The Act allowed for the establishment of the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund if the United Kingdom was successful in its bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.[7]

Section 40 - Commencement

The following orders have been made under this section:

  • The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2004] (S.I. 2004/3283 (C. 149))[8]
  • The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2005] (S.I. 2005/1134 (C. 52))[9]
  • The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2005] (S.I. 2005/1831 (C. 78))[10]
  • The Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2011] (S.I. 2011/462 (C. 17))[11]

References

  • "Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004". Current Law Statutes 2004. Sweet & Maxwell. London. W Green. Edinburgh. 2004. Volume 2. Chapter 25. pp 25-1 to 25-36.
  • Halsbury's Statutes
  1. ^ The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 42 of this Act.
  2. ^ Miers, David (1 August 2014). "Inside Information, Horseracing, and Betting Integrity in Great Britain". Gaming Law Review and Economics. 18 (6): 527–539. doi:10.1089/glre.2014.1864. ISSN 1097-5349.
  3. ^ Wood, Greg (15 July 2008). "I dropped the ball over Tote sale, admits Caborn". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  4. ^ Evans, Richard (2 June 2005). "Commission investigate sale of Tote". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  5. ^ "HORSERACE BETTING AND OLYMPIC LOTTERY BILL PUBLISHED". Local Government Chronicle. 4 December 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  6. ^ Edmondson, Richard (26 November 2003). "Racing: Tote will lose pool betting monopoly after sell-off". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  7. ^ Trelford, Donald (12 April 2004). "Lottery tax threatens Olympic bid". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  8. ^ Digitised copy
  9. ^ Digitised copy
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