UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves said gambling operators should pay a greater share of tax, signalling a possible increase without specifying its scale. The government is expected to provide an update in the autumn budget on 26 November; a proposal for a single remote-gambling tax rate has drawn industry criticism.
A potential tax increase could affect UK operators’ tax liabilities and the structure of remote-gambling duties.
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Ninety Labour MPs signed a letter to Chancellor John Healey urging a higher Machine Games Duty on category B gaming machines. The letter, led by MP Alex Ballinger, comes before the 28 October Budget and cites a Social Market Foundation proposal to double the rate to 40%. The current rate is 20%.
Ninety Labour MPs have signed a letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey calling for higher taxation on category B gaming machines. The letter was led by Alex Ballinger, MP for Halesowen and co-chair of the parliamentary group on gambling reform, and was signed by Ballinger and 89 other MPs. It was sent ahead of the Budget on 28 October.
It was reported that provisional figures show UK remote gaming tax receipts increased by 108% following the tax rise announced last autumn. Industry figures said they needed further data before drawing conclusions.
According to provisional HMRC figures issued on 2 October 2026, remote gaming duty collected in July came to almost £590m, compared with £283m a year earlier — a jump of over 108%. The rate change had been introduced in April 2026, having been set out in the previous autumn budget.
Betfred founder Fred Done said a proposed increase in UK Machine Gaming Duty from 20% to 40% could force the company to close 495 shops within a year. He said this could put 2,575 jobs at risk and cost the Exchequer about £67 million in tax revenue; the proposal was reportedly under consideration ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Entain and Evoke reported lower profits amid the UK increase in Remote Gaming Duty, according to the companies’ statements cited in the report. Entain’s underlying profit fell 2% to £479m, while Evoke’s adjusted profit declined 10% to £150.2m and it reported £46m in additional gaming taxes during the period. The tax rate rose from 21% to 40% in April.
The Betting and Gaming Council said more than 540 betting shops had closed in Britain since last year’s Budget, with about 4,500 jobs lost. It warned that further tax increases could bring more closures and job losses; the Treasury said gambling duty rates for high-street shops had not changed.