Evoke urges no further gambling tax hikes in Budget after 270 shops shut
Evoke urges the UK Government to avoid further gambling tax hikes after closing 270 betting shops due to last year's tax increases.Summary
William Hill owner Evoke has called on the Government to "carefully consider" further tax hikes for the gambling industry, attributing the closure of 270 betting shops to last year's budget. The company is set to be taken over by Greek gambling firm Bally's Intralot in a £243 million deal expected to close by the end of this year or early next. Evoke announced the shop closures in April after posting deeper losses, aiming to offset an anticipated increase in betting taxes of up to £135 million a year from 2027, including a rise in remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% and a new 25% online sports betting duty. CEO Per Widerstrom said the closures demonstrate the impact on jobs and livelihoods, urging the Government to reconsider further increases ahead of the autumn Budget. The Government is reportedly considering raising machine games duty. Competitors Entain and Rank Group have also urged a rethink, while Flutter is cutting 1,400 jobs to mitigate higher duties. Evoke reported Q3 group revenues of £406 million, down 7% year-on-year, or 2% excluding the closed shops, partly due to customer-friendly sports results.
(Source：The Irish News)