Overview
- Betting and Gaming Council chief Grainne Hurst told MPs there is no social ill with gambling and warned higher taxes would risk jobs, shops and sports sponsorship while pushing customers to unregulated operators.
- The BGC cited commissioned analysis forecasting more than 40,000 job losses, £8.4 billion in stakes shifting to the black market and a £3.1 billion hit to the sector’s UK economic contribution if taxes rise.
- Stewart Kenny, co‑founder and former boss of Paddy Power, backed higher taxes on the most addictive online products and dismissed warnings of job losses and black‑market surges as scaremongering.
- Experts from the IPPR and Social Market Foundation urged steep increases focused on remote gambling, with proposals including lifting remote gaming duty toward 50% and raising general betting duty to about 25% while protecting horseracing.
- Companies highlighted potential fallout, with Betfred saying it would close 1,287 shops if taxes increase, William Hill’s owner considering further closures and Flutter already shutting 57 stores, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves has signalled operators should pay their fair share.