Ahead of the upcoming UK Budget, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has issued a stark warning that further tax increases on the gambling sector could jeopardize thousands of livelihoods.
Protecting high street employment and young workers
According to the BGC, Britain’s betting shops currently support over 36,000 jobs, with more than 80 percent of those positions located outside of London in market towns, seaside communities, and former industrial areas.
Britain’s regulated betting shops serve as a critical source of employment, particularly for demographics facing higher barriers in the broader job market. Nearly 19 percent of the sector workforce is under 25, and 51 percent are under 35, compared to national averages of 11 percent and 35 percent respectively. These positions offer young people an initial entry into employment, equipping them with valuable customer service and administrative skills. Additionally, women represent half of the workforce, benefiting from structured contracts and flexible working patterns that accommodate caring responsibilities.
However, the BGC warns that these community hubs face mounting pressures from rising taxation. Independent EY modeling shows that increasing Machine Games Duty (MGD) to 40 percent would put up to 16,000 jobs at risk. Of those threatened positions, 80 percent are outside London, with 27 percent in the North of England and nearly 40 percent across northern regions and Scotland combined. Furthermore, the tax hike could jeopardize nearly 1,500 betting shops and 34 casinos while reducing Treasury revenues by £124 million.
Executive commentary
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, stated:
“Britain’s betting shops support more than 36,000 jobs, and more than eight in ten of them are outside London. These are good, secure jobs in market towns, former industrial communities and seaside towns, many of them across the North, where opportunities can be harder to find.”
Hurst added:
“Almost one in five betting shop employees is under 25 and more than half are under 35. For many, it is their first job, their first pay packet and their first opportunity to build a career. Half the workforce are women, many balancing work with childcare and caring responsibilities. These are exactly the jobs this country needs more of, not fewer.”
Addressing the Chancellor directly, Hurst noted:
“The Chancellor should be under no illusion. Another tax rise would put thousands of those livelihoods on the line. Independent EY modelling shows that raising Machine Games Duty to 40 per cent could cost up to 16,000 jobs, put almost 1,500 betting shops and 34 casinos at risk, and leave the Treasury £124 million worse off.”
