BHA and Flutter innovation summit aims to attract new racegoers
A new summit backed by the British Horseracing Authority and Flutter Entertainment aims to inject startup innovation into British racing. The BHA and Flutter innovation summit marks a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the governing body and one of racing’s biggest betting operators.
The one-day Future of Racing summit takes place at York Racecourse on 12 February 2026, with applications open through Flutter’s Alpha Hub until 23 November 2025. Shortlisted startups will pitch at the event. Those who make the cut won’t just get guidance — they’ll see their ideas stretch their legs on real racecourses. The goal of the BHA and Flutter innovation summit is to test and scale practical solutions that strengthen the sport’s future.
How the BHA and Flutter innovation summit works
Startups will present to a panel of leaders from Flutter and the BHA, racecourses and welfare experts. Pitches will occur in front of racing stakeholders and venture capitalists. The summit prioritises access, mentoring and pilot opportunities, rather than cash prizes.
Selection criteria include innovation, scalability, and team strength. Proposals must also align with the summit’s four themes. The programme is backed by Racecourse Media Group, York Racecourse, and ClimbUK, and is being run through Alpha Hub, Flutter’s innovation platform founded in 2018.
Four themes driving racing’s modern era
The BHA and Flutter innovation summit spotlights four innovation pillars shaped by recent audience research.
- Horse welfare: Tech that improves safety, such as saddle-mounted, real-time sensors for stride and heart rate.
- Education: Tools that simplify racing for newcomers. Timeform’s QuickCard has shown that condensing complex data into intuitive guidance can improve engagement.
- Raceday experience: AR overlays could show real-time leaderboards or positional data visible from any seat.
- Behind the silks: VR stable tours and track views deepen fan emotional connections.
A wildcard category invites any fresh concept that can modernise the sport or deepen fan engagement.
What Project Beacon tells us about fans
The BHA’s Project Beacon is the largest audience study undertaken in British racing, surveying 7,500 people across Britain and Ireland. It estimates that approximately 25.2 million adults are “available” to racing, with 16.9 million either potential fans or casual fans. Two high-potential groups stand out: open-minded rookies and social stakers. The biggest barriers are horse welfare, the cost of going racing, and the complexity of the sport’s language and data. These findings directly inform the summit’s four themes.
The findings highlight clear opportunities for innovation in access, education, and welfare technology—areas the summit aims to address directly.
Those numbers now carry real-world weight. As SiGMA News reported in its special investigation, “British Horseracing Strike Shakes Westminster,” the summer’s strike over proposed levy reforms halted fixtures across the country and sent the sport’s financial turmoil straight into the political arena. It exposed the fragility of racing’s funding model — and how disconnected the sport has become from the very audiences.
Leadership voices from BHA and Flutter
Brant Dunshea, acting CEO of the BHA, wants practical answers to a simple problem — how to win young fans and make them stay. “We’re looking for bold ideas,” he said, inviting startups to help reshape the sport. You don’t often hear that from the top — maybe those old walls really are starting to crack?
Sebastian Butterworth, Racing Strategy Director at Flutter UKI, links the initiative to Flutter’s startup DNA. He points to Timeform’s QuickCard launch at York as proof that simplification can boost engagement among newcomers. That track record matters for startups considering a pilot with racing.
Flutter’s involvement also highlights how betting operators are now investing in racing’s sustainability and integrity, not just wagering growth. This is timely, as recent reports show the precarious state of UK high-street betting shops, many of which face closure, showing how racing’s traditional revenue networks are under strain.
Part of a wider racing revival
The summit aligns with a broader strategy to refresh British racing’s offer.
- The Going Is Good campaign is a national, Levy Board-funded marketing push of £3.62 million that launched in May 2025. Industry reports hint it may return in 2026.
- HorsePWR is the sport’s welfare-communications hub that provides accessible facts on safety and welfare standards.
- Premier Racedays will be streamlined from 170 to 52 fixtures in 2026 to concentrate attention on elite occasions and improve clarity for customers.
Together, these efforts reinforce what makes the summit unique: a direct pipeline for new ideas into British racing, combining industry access, expert mentorship, and structured pilots to address connection, clarity, and confidence.
Balancing innovation with racing’s integrity
The BHA and Flutter innovation summit model brings opportunity but also risk. Gamification risks trivialising the sport. Devices focused on wellness alone may not boost public trust. Data tools should improve the fan experience, not just margins. Above all, racing must avoid innovation that merely shows off and ignores racing’s ongoing funding pressures, including declining levy contributions. Success must be measured by pilots that benefit real racegoers, not just generate applause.
The summit’s about bringing fans closer, not pushing turnover, but Flutter’s part in it shows a real stake in racing’s long game. Any gamified or data-driven idea needs to stay clean, transparent, responsible, and built to engage, not to sell.
Startups entering the summit will need to show how their proposals align with its values of fan engagement and sustainable innovation. They should outline strategies that maintain integrity and demonstrate long-term funding models likely to resonate with decision-makers.
The next winning bet to save British racing
Apply by 23 November 2025 through Flutter’s Alpha Hub; the shortlist follows in January. This may be the spark British racing has been waiting for, where circuits and saddles finally share the same stage. We’ll find out at York on 12 February 2026.
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