June 27, 2024 – British broadcast giant BBC Radio 4 announced that its Today program will no longer be covering horse-racing tips. The show’s presenter Amol Rajan announced on air that the program that’s been running for 47 years will be scrapped from the show.

Horse racing tips are typically broadcast at the end of each sports vertical starting at 6:30 am, 7:30 am, and 8:30 am, six days a week, except for Sundays. Rajan claims that it will be a “significant blow for the profile of the sport as it battles to maintain relevance with the wider public.”

When asked about the decision, BBC says “After careful consideration, we have decided to focus racing tips on the big races across the year. The Today program remains committed to covering racing news and this will continue on the program’s sports bulletins.”

Politically Sensitive Subject at a Precarious Time

BBC executives were looked into by a Daily Mail reporter claiming that the network was considering the drop of the racing tips segment due to anachronism. Some argued that it wasn’t on par to encourage gambling activity at a politically sensitive time.

The chair of the Betting and Gaming Council told Racing Post, Michael Dugher shared his thoughts after the network’s announcement on Monday, “I suspect there have always been people at BBC Radio 4 that regard the racing tips as a bit ‘below stairs’ and, if they like racing at all, they only care about the big ‘dressing up’ meetings like Royal Ascot or Cheltenham.”

“Millions of ordinary people enjoy a regular bet – whether that’s on bingo, the lottery or sports like racing. There’s definitely more than a hint of snobbery from the Today program with this decision.” Dugher adds.