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Evoke chief executive Per Widerström has called on the government to reconsider further gambling tax increases ahead of the Budget, after the William Hill owner closed 270 shops in the past year. A possible increase in machine games duty is under discussion, but the source report does not confirm that it will be included in the Budget.
Evoke, owner of William Hill and 888, has made a last-minute appeal to the government to avoid further gambling tax increases ahead of next week’s Budget, after closing 270 William Hill shops over the past year. Chief executive Per Widerström said the closures showed the effects of higher industry taxes on jobs and livelihoods; the government has not confirmed whether it will raise the tax on gaming machines.
Widerström urged ministers to “carefully consider any further increases” as speculation grows that machine games duty, which applies to slot machines, could be doubled to 40 per cent in the Budget. That potential change is not confirmed in the report. The planned Budget is due next week, but the source does not state a date for any tax decision to take effect.
The appeal follows earlier increases to gambling duties: remote gaming duty rose from 21 per cent to 40 per cent, while the levy on online sports betting increased from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Evoke has blamed tax rises for pressure on its business and said it put itself up for sale last December. The company was bought by Greece’s Bally’s Intralot in a £243 million takeover earlier this year; completion is expected by the end of March, according to the report.
Evoke also reported a 7 per cent fall in revenue, or 2 per cent on a like-for-like basis. It attributed the decline to “customer-friendly sports results” at the start of the football season. The company reported £80 million in losses in the first half of 2026 and said it paid an additional £46 million in gaming duties. Those company figures provide a snapshot of its performance, but do not by themselves establish how much of the change was caused by tax.
Tax Pressure and Betting Jobs
The dispute matters because any further tax increase could affect the costs and operating decisions of betting businesses, including their shops and staffing. Evoke points to its 270 shop closures as evidence of the impact it says higher taxes have had. That is the company’s account; the report does not establish that tax was the sole cause of the closures or quantify how many jobs they involved.
The warning comes amid other reported reductions across the sector. Flutter, which owns Paddy Power and Sky Bet, announced plans to cut 1,400 jobs in its UK and Ireland business, citing the tax changes. The Betting and Gaming Council estimates that about 12,400 jobs have been lost or are at risk in the industry since last year’s Budget. That figure is an industry-body estimate, not an official government count.
For customers and local communities, shop closures can mean fewer nearby betting outlets and changes to employment in affected areas. For the government, the policy question is how to balance tax revenue and regulation with the effects on businesses and workers. The report does not provide estimates of the revenue a further increase might raise or an independent assessment of its likely effects.
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Earlier Duties and Company Sales
The latest appeal follows tax changes affecting different parts of gambling. Remote gaming duty covers online casino-style gaming, while the online sports betting levy applies to remote sports betting. The report says their rates rose to 40 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. The possible machine games duty change discussed ahead of the Budget would concern a separate category: gaming machines such as slots.
Evoke’s business has also been changing ownership and structure. It put itself up for sale in December, with the report linking that decision to the tax increases, and later agreed to a £243 million sale to Bally’s Intralot. The company had also left London’s stock market earlier in 2026. These developments form part of the company’s financial backdrop, but the source does not give details of the sale terms or how the new owner might respond to any Budget measures.
Other operators have announced cuts or closures. The report says Bet365 plans to remove 300 jobs at its Stoke-on-Trent headquarters, while Betfred said in July it would shut 132 shops, resulting in 600 job losses. These announcements show that pressures and restructuring are not limited to Evoke, although each company’s decisions may have different causes.
““Carefully consider any further increases.””
— Per Widerström, Evoke chief executive
Budget Decision Still Pending
The report does not confirm whether the government will raise machine games duty to 40 per cent, or whether any change will appear in next week’s Budget. It also does not identify the minister addressed in Widerström’s appeal, beyond referring to the Chancellor in its opening, or give the government’s response to Evoke’s request.
The scale of the effect on jobs is also not fully established. Evoke has said it closed 270 shops, but the report does not specify how many employees were affected by those closures. The industry-wide estimate of 12,400 jobs lost or at risk comes from the Betting and Gaming Council, and the report does not provide its method or a breakdown between confirmed redundancies and potential future losses.
It remains unclear how much of Evoke’s revenue decline and losses resulted from higher duties rather than sports results, customer behaviour or other business factors. The company attributed its latest revenue fall to football results at the start of the season, while its wider tax concerns are its own stated position.
Budget Sets the Next Test
The immediate next milestone is next week’s Budget, when the government may set out whether it intends to change machine games duty or introduce other gambling tax measures. Until an announcement is made, the possible 40 per cent rate remains an expectation described in the report, not a confirmed policy.
Readers will also be watching for further detail on the timing and implementation of any measures, and for responses from gambling operators and industry groups. Evoke’s sale to Bally’s Intralot is expected to complete by the end of March, according to the report, though the effect of the ownership change on the company’s stores, staffing or tax position has not been set out.
Key Questions
What has William Hill’s owner asked the government to do?
Evoke has asked the government to carefully consider any further gambling tax increases ahead of next week’s Budget.
Is machine games duty definitely rising to 40 per cent?
No. The report says there are fears it could be doubled to 40 per cent, but the government has not confirmed that decision.
How many William Hill shops has Evoke closed?
Evoke has closed 270 William Hill shops over the past year, according to the report. It does not state how many jobs those closures affected.
What other job cuts have been reported in the sector?
Flutter announced plans to cut 1,400 jobs in its UK and Ireland business. The report also cites planned Bet365 job cuts and Betfred shop closures, as well as an industry estimate of about 12,400 jobs lost or at risk since last year’s Budget.
When will the tax decision be known?
The next expected opportunity for an announcement is next week’s Budget. The report does not give a date for when any possible tax change would begin.
Source: rss
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