Coral has ended its sponsorship of the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival, a partnership dating to the race’s launch in 1993. Entain has described the decision as financial and linked it to higher tax liabilities imposed on the betting sector in the latest budget.
The withdrawal ends a long-running commercial sponsorship between a betting operator and a major racing event.
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The Betting and Gaming Council said a report by H2 Gambling Capital warns that UK tax increases could accelerate customer migration to unlicensed gambling operators. The report projects the illegal market's share of online betting will rise from 10% in 2025 to 22% by 2031, while the planned Remote Betting Duty increase from April 2027 could add pressure on licensed firms.
iGamingFuture reported that H2 Gambling Capital analysis suggested UK gambling tax increases could accelerate illegal market growth. The assessment covered both recent and planned increases.
Flutter UKI chief executive Kevin Harrington said the government’s tax increases had gone too far. He warned that the policy could create an opening for black-market operators, while saying Flutter expected its brands to gain market share.
Gambling.com Group chief operating officer Kevin McCrystle expects a strong UK market despite higher duties. He said operator departures would still leave a large pool of challenger brands to target.
The UK government confirmed support for higher taxes on online gambling, following the Autumn Budget, in a statement issued on 22 January 2026. Remote gaming duty will rise from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026, and remote sports betting duty from 15% to 25% on 1 April 2027; horse racing and in-person gambling rates will stay unchanged, while bingo duty will end in April 2026. The government expects the changes to raise more than £1bn in additional tax revenue.