UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering raising the bookmakers’ levy from 15% to 21% in the 26 November Budget. Conservative shadow sport minister Louie French and the Betting and Gaming Council warned the proposal could affect jobs and drive customers to unregulated gambling sites; no decision was reported.
A higher levy could change licensed operators’ tax costs and the competitive pressure from unregulated sites.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
The UK’s planned gambling ombudsman had made no progress three years after the government’s white paper, IBAS said in its 2025 annual report. IBAS managing director Richard Hayler attributed the delay to limited political will and disagreement over whether legislation is needed; the government has reportedly favoured using the existing alternative dispute resolution system.
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.
The Betting and Gaming Council has opposed the UK House of Lords Liaison Committee's call for a comprehensive gambling advertising ban. Chief executive Grainne Hurst said the proposal could weaken consumer protection and argued that advertising rules distinguish licensed operators from illegal sites. The BGC also cited restrictions in Italy and the Netherlands as evidence of mixed outcomes.
The House of Lords Liaison Committee recommended a comprehensive gambling advertising ban across the UK in a follow-up report. It said gambling harm affects up to 1.5 million adults in Britain and proposed retaining on-course horseracing and greyhound racing advertising; it also called for an assessment of lottery advertising risks.
The Betting and Gaming Council estimated that illegal platforms took more than £8m in bets on the Betfred St Leger Festival. The festival marked the race’s 250th anniversary.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) estimated that more than £8m was bet with unauthorised operators during the Betfred St Leger Festival, according to figures the association issued. The BGC put bets on the St Leger race itself at about £2m. The festival marked the 250th anniversary of the race, which was first run at Doncaster in 1776.