Six betting CEOs ask Chancellor to rule out new gambling tax rises

The bosses of six gambling companies have asked Chancellor John Healey to rule out any further rise in gambling duties at next month’s Budget, including Machine Games Duty (MGD, the tax on gaming machine profits). They also want a planned increase in General Betting Duty (GBD), due in April 2027, paused until the impact of tax rises already introduced has been fully assessed.

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the industry body, said on 14 October 2026 that its member chief executives had signed the letter. They lead Entain, Flutter UK & Ireland, bet365, Bally’s Corporation, evoke and Betfred.

The details

The letter says that since the 2025 Budget:

• more than 600 betting shops have closed;
• 10,250 jobs across online and retail have been lost or announced for redundancy;
• the job cuts include closures at Betfred and William Hill, shops under review at Paddy Power and 300 posts at bet365 in Stoke-on-Trent.

Gambling Commission data shows betting shop numbers in Great Britain have fallen by around 38 per cent since 2015, the BGC said.

The EY estimate

The CEOs cite EY analysis of doubling MGD on Category B machines to 40 per cent. EY estimates it could lead to:

• 690 to 1,470 further betting shop closures;
• 28 to 34 casino closures;
• 11,600 to 15,900 job losses;

Horseracing would lose at least £40 million through lost levy and media-rights payments, according to the same analysis.

The BGC also noted that the industry is already dealing with the near doubling of Remote Gaming Duty. Chief executive Grainne Hurst said the Chancellor risks “destroying jobs and investment without raising a penny more”.

What’s next

The Budget is due next month. The BGC’s statement did not give a date.