Evoke said it is assessing possible shop closures in the UK as it considers different tax scenarios ahead of the November Budget. Media reports put the potential closures at 120 to 200 shops, with up to 1,500 jobs at risk; Evoke said tax changes could affect investment and drive customers to the black market.
Tax changes could prompt shop closures, affecting William Hill’s UK retail presence and jobs.
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The UK government announced higher taxes on online gambling in its budget, with the casino rate rising from 21% to 40% next April and online sports betting increasing from 15% to 25% in April 2027. Flutter shares initially fell 14% before rebounding; Entain also recovered after an initial 3% decline, while Evoke remained down for the day.
The Betting and Gaming Council launched a campaign on 28 September opposing further betting shop tax rises in Britain. The BGC attributed to EY modelling an estimate that raising Machine Games Duty to 40% could jeopardise up to 16,000 jobs and leave the Treasury approximately £124m worse off.
A campaign called "Back Our Betting Shops" was started by the Betting and Gaming Council on Monday. It sets out to show how employees, communities and high streets across Britain could be affected by additional tax rises and shop closures. According to the BGC, the initiative features workers from several parts of the industry, among them apprentices, managers, customers, long-serving staff and community collaborators.
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.
Reportedly, Entain has written to 10 English football clubs asking them to withdraw from sponsorship arrangements with operators lacking a UK licence. The appeal comes ahead of the 9 September deadline for the DCMS consultation on sponsorships involving unlicensed gambling operators.
Entain launched a horse racing bet builder across Ladbrokes and Coral online platforms and shops in the UK and Ireland. Customers can combine selections from the same race, including win, place and winning-distance markets; the company said odds can reach 100,000/1.