Badenoch: gambling tax rises will shut ‘good companies’
Tory leader’s attack comes as Chancellor John Healey weighs a Machine Games Duty raid in his first Budget.
The hit
Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of trapping UK gambling in a “tax doom loop”, according to SBC News. The Tory leader warned that continued tax rises will push “good companies” out of business, as Chancellor John Healey weighs a Machine Games Duty hike in his first Autumn Budget.
Why it matters
Badenoch’s intervention piles political pressure onto an already jumpy sector. If MGD rises land as feared, smaller & mid-tier bookmakers face the sharpest squeeze, while bigger operators like Entain & Flutter have signalled they could pick up market share as weaker rivals struggle or close.
The record
| Warning issued | Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party leader, to The Sun |
|---|---|
| Jobs at risk | Up to 16,000 (Betting & Gaming Council) |
| Betting shops at risk | Up to 1,500 (Betting & Gaming Council) |
| Casinos at risk | Up to 34 (Betting & Gaming Council) |
| Retail betting extinction warning | By 2030 (Fred Done, Betfred founder) |
What happens next
Watch for confirmation of any Machine Games Duty rise, & industry reaction from the BGC, Entain & Betfred.
Sources: Badenoch: gambling tax hikes will put good firms out of business
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