The Racing Post and Unibet: Partners in Crime?

When it comes to horseracing’s tangled web of priorities, few relationships highlight the blurred lines between journalism, betting, and governance better than the cosy partnership between the Racing Post and Unibet. What should be a watchdog for the industry increasingly resembles a lapdog for commercial interests, with the Racing Post’s ostensibly impartial reporting often feeling more like a corporate love letter to its bookmaker partners.

Unibet, a major player in the betting world, is both an advertiser and partner of the Racing Post, which raises obvious questions about the Post’s editorial independence. How can the industry’s self-styled paper of record critically examine the role of bookmakers—who profit heavily from problem gamblers and questionable practices—when it’s so deeply embedded with them?

Take, for instance, Unibet’s £100,000 limit for bets on horseracing. On the face of it, that might sound generous—until you consider the hundreds of thousands they gleefully throw at sponsorships to keep their logo plastered across racecourse fences, promotional banners, and even trainer jackets. Yes, Nicky Henderson’s yard is proudly sponsored by Unibet, meaning every time a horse leaves Seven Barrows for the races, it might as well be dragging a banner that reads, “Bet sensibly, but only if we let you.”

For Unibet, it seems, the big bets are reserved for sponsorship deals and photo ops. Meanwhile, punters daring to stake beyond that arbitrary ceiling are effectively told to stay in their lane—or better yet, find a different bookmaker. One imagines their sponsorship budget could fund a year’s worth of "affordability checks," complete with requests for customers to stand outside their houses and wave at the camera, as though they’ve been caught auditioning for Crimewatch.

It’s a staggering contradiction: a bookmaker capping liabilities for the average bettor while simultaneously splashing cash on one of the most prestigious racing stables in the country. They’re happy to roll out the red carpet for Henderson’s Cheltenham contenders while keeping ordinary punters on a tight leash. After all, it’s far easier to pay for VIP visibility in racing’s inner circle than to honour larger stakes for the public.

Sponsored Podcasts: The Quiet Complicity

This relationship isn’t confined to glossy ads or sponsorship deals; it extends to Racing Post podcasts, proudly sponsored by Unibet. Figures like David Jennings and others sit cheerily behind the microphone, delivering "analysis" underwritten by the bookmaker whose practices they would never dare to question. Imagine the awkwardness if a guest were to raise, say, Unibet’s intrusive affordability checks or their laughably selective approach to risk. No chance of that—the brand guidelines wouldn’t allow it.

Meanwhile, Racing Post journalists like Lee Mottershead and Bill Barber like to dabble in performative outrage over bookmaker practices. But let’s not kid ourselves: their employer is perfectly happy to take the Unibet shilling, and by extension, so are they. Outrage, it seems, has a carefully managed editorial ceiling, just like the betting limits on Unibet’s website.

Profit Over Principle

This symbiotic relationship between the Racing Post and Unibet feeds into the broader dysfunction of British racing. Bookmakers like Unibet, bolstered by glowing coverage and uncritical editorial partnerships, profit from an industry where jockey welfare is neglected, racecourses hold unchecked power, and governance is riddled with conflicts of interest.

Unibet’s willingness to splash the cash on sponsorships—be it for Nicky Henderson’s Seven Barrows, lavish racecourse deals, or Racing Post partnerships—stands in stark contrast to its treatment of everyday punters. For bettors facing £100k limits and invasive ID checks, the message is clear: your value ends where the sponsorship cheques begin.

As racing struggles to balance its ethical responsibilities with its commercial realities, the Racing Post’s willingness to blur the line between journalism and PR is emblematic of an industry that all too often puts profit before principle. While Henderson’s yard flourishes under Unibet’s patronage, the everyday punter is left wondering why their own bets are suddenly treated like a national security risk.