Entain said it has begun consulting on changes to its customer care operation that could remove up to 400 roles across multiple locations. The company said the roles represent part of its approximately 2,000-person customer care workforce and linked the changes to efforts to address higher UK gambling taxes.
The consultation could affect up to 400 Entain customer care employees, while the company cites higher UK gambling taxes.
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Entain chief executive Stella David told analysts she expects Brazil’s betting market to reopen in some form and said Entain would return. Her remarks were presented as her best guess.
Reportedly, Betting & Gaming Council members have asked UK Chancellor John Healey to reject a proposed increase in Machine Games Duty on category B machines from 20% to 40%. The Treasury is considering the MGD change for the autumn budget, while the letter also seeks a further delay to the General Betting Duty rise from 15% to 25%, scheduled for April 2027.
New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs said 11 companies advanced through an auction for online casino licensing rights ahead of a planned 2027 market launch. The 32 bidders completed 10 rounds, with successful applicants collectively bidding NZ$15 million for 15 rights; each covers one brand for three years, with a possible five-year renewal. Successful bidders must still complete applications and due diligence, while operators that did not qualify must cease operations by 1 December 2026.
The House of Lords Liaison Committee urged the UK government to ban gambling advertising. Its follow-up report also called on ministers to drop the aim of growing the licensed industry and return to a policy of tolerating gambling without promoting it. Industry figures and researchers dispute the report’s treatment of survey data, advertising measures and illegal-market risks.
The House of Lords Liaison Committee has urged the government to ban gambling advertising "as soon as practicable" and to abandon its aim of growing the licensed industry, in a follow-up report published on 17 September. The committee said there is "no evidence for the safety of gambling advertising" and that voluntary measures "have not gone far enough". The government has two months to respond.
Entain has introduced BlackRush Casino for New Zealand’s planned online casino market, reportedly ahead of the market’s expected May launch. The launch follows the country’s 29 September licence auction, but winning an auction place only gives operators the right to apply for a licence, the Department of Internal Affairs explained. Each brand needs separate approval.