The UK’s biggest bookmakers have called for the Government to pause the planned increase in General Betting Duty (GBD) as part of its lobbying attempts against a potential Machine Games Duty (MGD) rise.
A letter penned by some of the biggest members of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the UK’s gambling trade body, has gone directly to Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, regarding the tax hikes.
Lobbying against the rumoured MGD rise in the UK has been coming in thick and fast, but this letter also argues that the GBD increase from 15% to 25%, set to be implemented on 1 April 2027, should be paused “until the impact of tax rises already introduced has been fully assessed”.
As a reminder, the already-introduced tax rises cited here will be in reference to Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) nearly doubling from 21% to 40% in April this year.
The letter has been signed by the bosses of Entain, Flutter UK & Ireland, bet365, Bally’s Corporation, evoke and Betfred.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive Officer of the BGC, said: “Our members have delivered a stark warning to the Chancellor. Further tax rises will close more businesses, cost thousands more jobs and damage British sport, while potentially leaving the Treasury worse off.”
Are UK bookies biting off more than they can chew?
Hurst has again warned that the rises will have a detrimental impact on the high street and those employed by UK bookmakers.
Over 600 betting shops have closed their doors, with 10,000 of the gambling industry’s workforce being lost or set to be lost since ex-Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced the tax hikes in her 2025 Autumn Budget in November last year.
“These are real jobs, real livelihoods and businesses at the heart of communities across Britain. Further tax rises will only accelerate that decline.”
Grainne Hurst, CEO of the BGC
Despite a myriad of warnings against tax rises and the increase in prevalence of the illegal gambling market, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shown his hand and voiced his displeasure over the presence of betting shops on the high street – something which will continue to decline should the rumours of MGD doubling come to fruition.
With Burnham’s government in power, it seems highly unlikely that the GBD hike will be paused.
However, it’s a strong argument, as operators will only have had 12 months to evaluate the impact of a 40% remote gaming tax, and that 12 months included a unique event, the 2026 World Cup, which was said to be the biggest sporting event of all time for bookmakers.
With the World Cup only occurring once every four years, operators will not have had the chance to assess the impacts in a quote unquote regular financial year.
There are no calls for the GBD rise to be reversed – operators are merely suggesting that they should be allowed slightly more breathing room in what is not only a congested market, but one that finds itself under significantly more pressure than it has done in previous years.
Hurst concluded: “The industry is already grappling with the near doubling of Remote Gaming Duty. The Chancellor must rule out further tax rises at this Budget, including on Machine Games Duty, and pause the planned increase in General Betting Duty.
“You cannot tax businesses that have closed, and the Government risks destroying jobs and investment without raising a penny more for the Treasury.”
Meanwhile, a Betfred spokesperson told SBC News: “Betting shops up and down the land are under threat. Once they are gone they are never coming back, taking thousands of jobs with them”
