BGC warns budget plans will mean thousands of job losses and illegal gambling set to double
“This budget means thousands of job losses,” the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) warns as they say they’re ready to work with the UK government following the Autumn Budget announcement.
The Budget confirmed an increase to gambling tax as it will push remote gaming duty from 21 to 40 per cent starting in April 2026. The creation of a new 25 per cent general betting duty for online gambling will be introduced too from April 2027.
Self-service gambling terminals, spread betting, pool bets, and horseracing are exempt, while bingo taxes will have the current 10 per cent rate abolished. The BGC, in a new statement, touched on how “racing has seemingly been protected from higher betting duties” and says it “sounds like a win, but anyone who understands how the sector operates knows that isn’t true.”
Our industry supports thousands of jobs, invests in communities and funds sport, from the grassroots to elite level. None of that is guaranteed after the Budget. If regulated firms are squeezed, the consequences will be felt in job losses, shop closures and reduced investment in… pic.twitter.com/RG6tSYWy8O
— Betting and Gaming Council (@BetGameCouncil) December 8, 2025
Shortly after the tax announcement, many operators across the UK sectors also made their feelings known. Flutter Entertainment, for example, described it as being “a very disappointing outcome.”
Gambling tax hikes in UK could push players out of regulated sector, BGC suggestsThe association suggests the Chancellor has actually imposed one of the largest tax hikes on any industry in modern times and says these steep tax rises, layers on new regulation, “will not make gambling safer.”
Instead, the BGC says it will do the opposite and push ordinary players out of the regulated sector and into the unsafe black market.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “The Government’s own figures show these tax plans will cause significant damage. Industry analysis based on modelling from EY finds that nearly 17,000 high-tech jobs will be lost across online betting and gaming, with over £6 billion in stakes diverted to the black market – a 140% increase in its size.”
The council says they are ready to work with the Government to deliver the safest, most sustainable gambling environment in the world, but policies that strengthen the regulated market are required.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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