Back Our Betting Shops campaign launches in the UK
The Betting and Gaming Council says the Back Our Betting Shops campaign will focus on people and communities as it lobbies against a gaming machine tax rise.
Key takeaways
- The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has launched a Back Our Betting Shops campaign to oppose a proposed increase in Machine Games Duty in Britain. The campaign focuses on the employees, customers and communities connected to betting shops.
- The BGC cites EY analysis suggesting that raising Machine Games Duty to 40 per cent could put up to 16,000 jobs, nearly 1,500 betting shops and up to 34 casinos at risk, while reducing Treasury revenues by £124m.
- The campaign argues that betting shops play an important role on UK high streets as employers, community hubs and contributors to British sport, even as critics note that venue closures have largely been driven by the growth of online gambling.
UK.- The UK gambling industry lobby group the Betting and Gaming Council has launched a new campaign as it seeks to strengthen its argument against a proposed rise in Machine Games Duty in the Autumn Budget next month. The BGC’s Back Our Betting Shops campaign will focus on “the people, jobs and communities behind Britain’s betting shops”, the association said.
The campaign is intended to highlight real people who rely on betting shops for their livelihoods, “from long-serving employees and apprentices to managers, customers and community partners”. The aim is also to highlight the role betting shops play as community hubs on British high streets and to “warn of the very real human consequences further tax increases could have for workers, families, local businesses and communities”.
The BGC cited EY modelling that suggests that increasing Machine Games Duty to 40 per cent as proposed could put up to 16,000 jobs, nearly 1,500 betting shops and as many as 34 casinos at risk, while leaving the Treasury £124m worse off.
The land-based gambling sector has been in contraction for several years. Since 2019, more than 3,000 betting shops have closed, and over 16,000 jobs have been lost. Over the same period, 22 casinos have shut their doors with the loss of more than 3,000 jobs, while 108 bingo clubs have closed, resulting in the loss of more than 2,000 jobs.
However, critics have pointed out that much of this was because of a transition within the industry itself as online gambling became more popular and more profitable. Overall, British gross gambling yield continues to rise, climbing 4.4 per cent to £17.5bn in 2025. The sector is doing very well.
The BGC’s argument is effectively that physical venues should face lower taxes because they have a community role. It sees them as an important part of the local high street: places where people work, meet and socialise, while bringing customers into town centres and driving footfall to neighbouring businesses.
It also stresses that betting shops also play a major role in supporting British sport, including horseracing through the statutory Horserace Betting Levy, alongside wider sponsorship and investment in professional and grassroots sport.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said: “Behind every betting shop is a team of real people earning a living, supporting their families and playing a part in their local community. “These shops are not just businesses. For many people they are community hubs, familiar places on the high street where people work, meet and socialise, often with staff who have known their customers for years.
“They also help support British sport, from horseracing to rugby league, including clubs and competitions that are themselves at the heart of communities across the country.
“We have already seen thousands of shops close and thousands of jobs disappear. Further tax increases would not just show up on a balance sheet. They could mean more people losing their livelihoods, more empty shopfronts and more communities losing businesses they value.
“That is why we are asking Britain to Back Our Betting Shops. This campaign is about telling the stories behind the statistics and making sure the voices of the people whose jobs and communities are at stake are heard.”
The BGC takes its betting shop campaign to Makerfield
The BGC has begun the campaign by focusing on Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s own constituency of Makerfield in Greater Manchester. It says that Opinium polling found that 54 per cent of residents believe betting shops contribute to community life. Meanwhile, more than one in four Makerfield adults, 26 per cent, had placed a sports or racing bet in the previous 12 months. Of those, 54 per cent had bet in person at a bookmaker, while 66 per cent had bet online.
Hurst said: “The Prime Minister has said policies should face a ‘Makerfield test’ that if they don’t work for people here and don’t lift them up, they shouldn’t happen at all. The Prime Minister only has to look at his own constituency to see why that matters. People in Makerfield recognise the role betting shops play in community life and they are concerned about the jobs and empty units left behind when local businesses disappear.
“The Chancellor knows the sector and his local betting shops well, having visited them over a number of years through our Grand National Charity Bet. He understands the jobs they provide and the role they play in their communities. With EY warning that a sharp rise in Machine Games Duty could close hundreds more betting shops and cost thousands of jobs, further tax rises risk inflicting exactly the kind of damage communities like Makerfield are worried about and raise serious questions about whether such a policy would pass the Prime Minister’s own Makerfield test.
“The Chancellor will want to take this evidence into account as he considers the impact further tax rises could have on high street businesses, jobs and communities across the country.”
FAQs
What is the Back Our Betting Shops campaign?
It’s a new Betting and Gaming Council campaign designed to highlight the people, jobs and communities connected to betting shops while opposing a proposed increase in Machine Games Duty.
What impact could a Machine Games Duty increase could have?
The BGC claims that raising the tax to 40 per cent could put up to 16,000 jobs, nearly 1,500 betting shops and as many as 34 casinos at risk, while leaving the Treasury £124m worse off. The Social Market Foundation claims that its proposed measure could generate between £275m and £458m a year in extra tax revenue.
Why does the BGC believe betting shops should be protected?
The BGC argues that betting shops serve as community hubs on high streets, provide employment, support local businesses through footfall and contribute to British sport through funding and sponsorship.
