More than 540 high-street betting shops have closed since last November’s Autumn Budget, with about 4,500 jobs lost, according to the Betting and Gaming Council. The trade body says the freeze on retail betting duty did not stop operators from cutting hundreds of outlets.
The council argues that the explanation lies in how the industry is run. It says betting groups manage their retail and online businesses together, so higher tax and regulatory costs in one part of the company can influence investment, staffing and shop networks across the rest of the business.
The BGC said some operators blamed the rise in Remote Gaming Duty for cuts to less profitable land-based operations that were already in decline. The Treasury has pushed back, saying: “It is wrong to suggest it is the fault of government for these closures. Gambling duty rates for high street shops have not changed.”
This is Money reported that Betfred planned to shut 132 shops, while Evoke had closed 270 since the Budget and Entain had cut around 500 jobs.
The wider decline is longer running. The BGC says around 3,000 UK betting shops have closed since 2019, with more than 15,000 jobs lost, and that the remaining shops still support about 37,500 jobs across Britain.
The council also says the broader regulated betting and gaming industry supports 109,000 jobs, contributes £6.8 billion in gross value added and generates more than £4 billion a year in tax revenue for the Exchequer. It has warned against treating licensed betting firms as if they were part of the illegal gambling market, and says the latest closures show claims that betting shops are spreading unchecked do not reflect current conditions.
