- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
A week ago former Prime Minister and before then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, publicly urged the current Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase the tax gambling companies pay HMRC, so as to help alleviate the ever growing financial blackhole the government faces.
In an article on the BBC dated 6th August 2025, Brown with a view to removing restrictions on social spending is quoted as saying:
"Hiking taxes on the "undertaxed" gambling industry was "by far the most cost-effective way" for the chancellor to do this."
However, a spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council, that numbers the likes of Entain as their members said:
"While the intended consequences of 2001 were a shot in the arm to this sector, and the thousands of decent men and women who work in the industry, making it a world-beater, the unintended consequences of further tax hikes now would be the opposite – significantly degrading the offer to punters.
That will have dire consequences. First, it could force punters to abandon their hobby, as horse-racing is painfully finding out, or it will drive them to the unsafe, unregulated, and growing black market online – an issue the IPPR conveniently glides over."
Hardly any surprise that the BGC would come out 'swinging' against any such proposal to raise UK betting duty, after all it is a body setup to represent its members interests, that of the gaming companies.
This all said, the UK budget in the Autumn is going to be closely watched by all sections of society and business and it is likely easy targets such as the gambling industry will be in the crosshairs of Reeves to try and balance the fiscal books of the UK.
In an article on the BBC dated 6th August 2025, Brown with a view to removing restrictions on social spending is quoted as saying:
"Hiking taxes on the "undertaxed" gambling industry was "by far the most cost-effective way" for the chancellor to do this."
However, a spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council, that numbers the likes of Entain as their members said:
"While the intended consequences of 2001 were a shot in the arm to this sector, and the thousands of decent men and women who work in the industry, making it a world-beater, the unintended consequences of further tax hikes now would be the opposite – significantly degrading the offer to punters.
That will have dire consequences. First, it could force punters to abandon their hobby, as horse-racing is painfully finding out, or it will drive them to the unsafe, unregulated, and growing black market online – an issue the IPPR conveniently glides over."
Hardly any surprise that the BGC would come out 'swinging' against any such proposal to raise UK betting duty, after all it is a body setup to represent its members interests, that of the gaming companies.
This all said, the UK budget in the Autumn is going to be closely watched by all sections of society and business and it is likely easy targets such as the gambling industry will be in the crosshairs of Reeves to try and balance the fiscal books of the UK.
