• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Bosses risk £1,000 fine for letting workers watch Cheltenham Festival in office

Home> News> Sport

Published 13:55 10 Mar 2025 GMT

Bosses risk £1,000 fine for letting workers watch Cheltenham Festival in office

Cheltenham Festival kicks off this week

Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper

Horse racing fans beware, you could face more than losing out on a poorly placed bet if you're caught watching the Cheltenham races without following this one rule.

The famous horse racing spectacle kicks off this tomorrow (11 March) and lasts all the way until Friday (14 March), seeing aficionados suited, booted and ready to splash the cash on which jockey they believe has the best chances of winning.

For those not doffing their finest outfits and making the journey to the racecourse, Cheltenham festival will also be broadcast live on ITV from 12:45 to 5pm each day.

For most of us, that means the races will be taking place slap bang in the middle of our working week, which means many will be considering tuning in from the office to stay up to date on the action.

Advert

Cheltenham festival is one of the biggest days in the horse racing calendar (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Cheltenham festival is one of the biggest days in the horse racing calendar (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

But if this sounds like you then you may want to double check the TV licence situation at your premises — or risk landing yourself with a £1,000 fine. This includes watching live TV on either on-demand services or streaming.

Now, I know the ins and outs of TV licences aren't the most riveting of subject to discuss, but a slap on the wrist to the tune of a grand would put a dampener of even the brightest of days. Add that to funds lost from any ill-placed bets and you'll definitely want to pay attention.

The warning comes courtesy of Office Freedom, who recently revealed that businesses which operate in co-working spaces may not be covered with a single TV licence. Which means it's the duty of each individual company to make sure they have the correct licensing in place.

"With racing taking place through afternoons, we can imagine many businesses will be eager to allow staff to tune in to watch the action while they are at work," a spokesperson for Office Freedom said of the topic.

Advert

But make sure you don't fall foul of this rule (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
But make sure you don't fall foul of this rule (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Revealing that around 1 in 4 (25.7%) people currently work in an office which is part of a broader co-working space, the spokesperson added: "But with so many now operating in shared office spaces - accommodating around a quarter of workers in the UK, according to survey research - it is important for companies to check if they have a valid TV licence in place.

"The onus is on individual companies operating in a co-working office to have a licence which covers the company, as existing TV licences in shared office spaces will only cover communal areas.

READ MORE

NETFLIX USERS COULD HAVE TO PAY BBC LICENCE FEE EVERY YEAR

Advert

"For companies currently leasing a shared office space, we’d urge them to check their TV licence as we would hate for anyone to get caught out just for allowing staff to enjoy the festival of racing ahead."

The more you know.

Featured Image Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile/Getty Images

Topics: UK News, Sport

Brenna Cooper
Brenna Cooper

Brenna Cooper is a journalist at LADbible. She graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in History, followed by an NCTJ accredited masters in Journalism. She began her career as a freelance writer for Digital Spy, where she wrote about all things TV, film and showbiz. Her favourite topics to cover are music, travel and any bizarre pop culture.

X

@_brencoco

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • Instagram/@elovelle_store_
    6 mins ago

    Natural 'limitless pill' could be alternative to viral drug taken by celebrities following doctor's warning

    The alternative substance is said to have some pretty impressive health benefits

    News
  • Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    News anchor speaks out and resigns after being suspended for Charlie Kirk tribute she aired

    Beni Rae Harmony claims she was suspended by the TV channel and has since resigned

    News
  • Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Huge update on 'Son of Concorde' that will fly from London to New York in 3.5 hours

    This is NASA's version of a new supersonic plane

    News
  • PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    Security expert reveals 'biggest threat' at Charlie Kirk's funeral

    Kirk was shot dead as he hosted an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) last week

    News
  • More than one million Brits at risk of £1,000 fine for ignoring simple drivers licence rule
  • Man given £21,000 because his new desk wasn't far back enough in the office
  • Premier League fans given £1,000 fine warning for watching Boxing Day fixtures
  • Netflix subscribers given £1,000 fine warning ahead of Jake Paul fight and £4 billion WWE deal