At a time when retail betting operations in the UK are being rolled back, Ladbrokes Coral owner Entain has penned a deal suggesting the opposite.
The company has signed a three-year contract with Barron McCann, an onsite and remote IT support services provider. The contract entails multi-device engineering support and lifecycle infrastructure services for Entain’s retail estate.
Barron McCann stated that its services will be utilised across over 2,000 retail locations nationwide – essentially equating to the entirety of the Ladbrokes Coral retail estate, which encompasses well over 2,300 shops in the UK between the two brands.
Services provided to Entain will include seven-day engineering support, extended operating hours and four-day hardware fix service.
Though only revealed by Barron McCann today (10 August), the transition period to the group’s technology has been in effect for three months, having been carried out during the FIFA World Cup from June-July.
“Securing this contract with a FTSE 100 industry leader like Entain validates Barron McCann’s disruptive approach to high-street retail technology management,” said Paul Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Barron McCann Group.
“By moving away from rigid, high-cost manufacturer models toward an agile, circular-economy repair ecosystem, we are giving clients excellent engineering resilience without the inflated price tags.
“Our bespoke engineering solutions, formulated right here in Derby, are perfectly aligned with supporting Entain’s high-tech Digi-Hubs and dynamic retail environments safely into the future.”
Does Entain hold out hope for Ladbrokes Coral?
Retail betting is a core product for Entain, as mentioned above. Ladbrokes and Coral are historic brands on the UK high street, the former dating back to the Victorian era while the latter was founded in 1926.
The two merged in 2016 to create a high-streeting betting giant, though the new company did have to close a number of locations to abide with Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) antitrust rules.
In 2017, Ladbrokes Coral was acquired by GVC holdings, the owner of the Bwin and PartyPoker brands. In late 2020, GVC rebranded as Entain, the Isle of Man-domiciled, London-headquartered business we are all familiar with today.
It has been no secret that retail betting is on the ropes in the UK. Successive Gambling Commission reports show that land-based betting shops are facing a tough time, experiencing declining engagement.
Omnichannel companies are also feeling the impact of tax, with Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) on online casino almost doubling from 21% to 40% as of 1 April 2026. For some companies, sacrifices have had to be made in the retail sector to protect the online one.
Topping it off are business rates, national insurance contributions and wage increases, all cited by Betfred’s senior management two weeks ago when the company announced the closure of over 130 shops.
Flutter Entertainment, meanwhile, opted to close a number of Paddy Power betting shops throughout the UK and Ireland earlier this year. Evoke has also been closing William Hill venues, and for its part Entain has been closing some Ladbrokes shops, mainly in Ireland.
The new contract with Barron McCann suggests that the company does not see retail as a dead end prospect in the UK, however. This is despite retail revenue being down 1% year-over-year according to the group’s Q1 2025 financials.
Despite some declines, Gambling Commission stats still show some value in retail – in Q3 of the March 2025-April 2026 financial year, there were 5,669 betting shops active in Great Britain, while total GGY from land-based arcades, betting shops, bingo halls and casinos came to £1.2bn.
On the Barron McCann deal, Fiona Wallace, Entain’s Head of Self-Service Betting Terminals (SSBTs), the core wagering product in its modern Ladbrokes Coral shops, remarked that its Betstation terminals “play an important role in the experience we provide for customers”.
This made it “critical” for the firm to have a “trusted technology partner’, Wallace added.
“Barron McCann impressed us throughout the tender process with their technical capability, operational flexibility and focus on innovation,” she continued.
“The successful mobilisation of this contract is testament to the hard work of both teams, and we are excited to build on that partnership as we continue to enhance the retail experience for our customers and colleagues.”
