Leading figures in British racing are pressing the government to rescue the sport from the threat of financial ruin before Monday’s parliamentary debate on affordability checks in the gambling industry.

Nevin Truesdale, the chief executive of The Jockey Club, organised a petition calling on ministers to abandon the planned implementation of the checks. In less than four weeks more than 100,000 people signed the petition in the belief that the policy, which they argue could lead to people being assessed as “at risk or harm” based on their postcode or job title, is “inappropriate and discriminatory”.

Of primary concern is the wider impact it could have on revenue coming into racing, at a time when calls continue for a reform of the Horserace Betting Levy