The Betting and Gaming Council has launched a nationwide campaign focused on the jobs and communities that it says could be affected by further tax increases on Britain’s retail betting sector.
The “Back Our Betting Shops” initiative will feature betting shop employees, apprentices, managers, customers and community partners, shifting the industry’s tax argument towards the people whose livelihoods depend on retail gambling businesses. The campaign also aims to highlight the role shops continue to play on British high streets and within local communities.
The move comes amid industry concern over a possible increase in Machine Games Duty, which applies to gaming machine profits. The BGC is opposing a potential rise in the standard MGD rate from 20% to 40%.
Modelling by EY cited by the trade body estimates that a 40% rate could put almost 16,000 jobs at risk, lead to as many as 1,470 betting shop closures and threaten up to 34 casinos. The analysis also estimates the Treasury could ultimately be around £124 million worse off because of lower receipts from employment taxes, business rates and other sources.
The BGC has used Makerfield, the prime minister’s constituency, to illustrate its argument. An Opinium poll commissioned by the organisation found 54% of residents surveyed believed betting shops contributed positively to local community life. That included 51% of Labour voters and 59% of Reform voters.
When residents were asked about the consequences of local businesses closing because of higher costs, job losses were the most commonly selected concern, cited by 34% overall and 40% of Labour voters. Another 23% pointed to empty high-street premises.
Major operators have also warned about the consequences of further taxation. Entain said doubling MGD to 40% would add around £100 million a year to the cost of its UK retail operation. The company said half of its retail employees are women, 52% work part-time or flexible hours and more than 2,500 are under 25.
Betfred founder Fred Done has separately warned that the company could close 495 shops within a year if MGD doubles, putting 2,575 jobs at risk and reducing tax receipts by an estimated £67 million. Betfred has already moved to close 132 UK shops following previous gambling tax increases.
The tax dispute comes alongside wider changes affecting retail gambling. The government recently announced plans to remove the long-standing “aim to permit” principle from gambling premises licensing, giving local authorities greater scope when considering applications for betting shops and 24-hour adult gaming centres.
The BGC says betting shop numbers have already fallen substantially, with around 3,000 locations disappearing since 2019. Its new campaign will seek to make employment and high-street impact central to the debate as the industry continues to push back against further increases in gambling taxation.