The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) is calling on the UK Government to apply its growth plan to all industries, including betting and iGaming, warning that the sector needs stability, not “more self-defeating tax rises that can only threaten jobs and growth”.
In a statement to the Government, BGC CEO Grainne Hurst underlined that the industry is being impacted by the closure of betting shops over the past few years, while the recently proposed online betting tax increases from the Treasury could create additional issues.
Land-based sector faces pressure
Hurst kicked off her statement by spotlighting the recent growth figures of the UK economy, which grew by 0.7% in Q1 2025. Yet, she noted that many businesses, including retail and hospitality, have been impacted by increasing employer National Insurance contributions and business rates.
“There are undoubtedly inherent contradictions at the heart of government policy. Ministers say they are pro-business, yet continue to add costs,” Hurst said.
“They talk of ‘light-touch’ regulation, while increasing regulatory burdens — from football to gambling. If the Government is serious about growth, it must ensure rhetoric is matched by action.”
Hurst highlighted the economic contributions through tax revenues and job creation that the gambling industry has provided in the UK – £6.8bn to the economy, £4bn in tax, 109,000 jobs – as well as its safer gambling commitment, which includes a voluntary contribution of over £170m in the past four years to help fund charities that care for those affected by gambling harm.
The BGC CEO noted that the industry “still draws scorn from some MPs and select quarters of the media” due to a lack of understanding, as betting shops have become “modern, safe and inclusive” where staff know regular customers and are willing to intervene if someone is experiencing difficulties, rather than the “dark and dingy smoke-filled rooms” of the past.
As a result, Hurst has requested that the Gambling Minister, Baroness Twycross, join her in visiting a betting shop on the anniversary of her appointment to the Government post next month.
She said: “Despite frequent claims from the anti-gambling lobby about the prevalence of betting shops on our high streets, the reality is that more than 2,400 have closed since 2019, leaving just 5,870 across the UK. This sharp decline highlights the significant and ongoing pressures facing the sector, which still supports around 46,000 jobs nationwide”
Proposed tax increase comes at ‘worst possible time’
Hurst stated that the BGC has embraced the change and higher standards that have come from the 2023 Gambling White Paper’s implementation, but she also said that these measures will cost the industry over £1bn annually.
The BGC CEO added that the recent proposal from the Treasury for a potential higher single tax for online betting and gaming, which would see a general gaming duty of 21% applied to all forms of betting, comes at the “worst possible time”.
This echoes the BGC’s statement in April, which said that such tax rises would make “a mockery” of the Government’s growth strategy.
“Such a move would risk driving away investment, undermining sports like horseracing, and pushing customers toward the unsafe, unregulated, and growing black market,” noted Hurst.
“Unlike the regulated sector, black market operators offer no consumer protections and pay no tax – meaning a higher tax rate could ultimately reduce, rather than increase, revenue to the Exchequer.”
Stability, not ‘more self-defeating tax rises’
Concluding her statement, Hurst said that while the BGC and its members want to play their part in the Government’s growth strategy, the industry needs stability to encourage investment and protect jobs.
“BGC members welcomed the recent growth figures. We want to support the Chancellor and play our part in the Government’s growth agenda. But if Ministers really want to see growth, they have to will the means. That does mean backing every industry and every sector – including the world-leading betting and gaming industry.
“If we want firms to keep investing and employing people here in the UK, we desperately need stability – and not more self-defeating tax rises that can only threaten jobs and growth.”
