Doubts over £458m gambling tax plan emerge days before Budget Betting A week before the Budget, questions have emerged about the evidence behind a proposed £458m gambling tax rise, after internal comments revealed doubts among the campaigners that were pushing for the increase. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) told City AM that the comments, which appeared in a draft report by the Social Market Foundation [...]
William Hill owner blames Man City dominance for revenue drop Betting The dominance of Manchester City and Arsenal football clubs at the summit of English football has dented earnings at the owner of gambling giant William Hill. Evoke reported that third quarter revenue was between one and two percentage points lower than it might have been because of a string of what it called “particularly customer-friendly [...]
Budget 2026: Healey warned betting tax hikes could hit non-league football Sport Business The Chancellor has been warned that tax rises on betting operators could have an impact on non-league football amid duty hike fears at next week’s Budget. Chancellor John Healey will next week deliver Andy Burnham’s first Budget since his coronation as Prime Minister earlier this year, and taxes are expected to be jacked up on [...]
Gambling giant blames job cuts on Burnham high street crackdown September 16, 2026 Ladbrokes owner Entain has hit out at Andy Burnham’s plans to shake up the high street as the gambling giant blamed the Prime Minister for its decision to cut 400 jobs. The group, which also owns Coral, has announced that it will cut about a fifth of the headcount of its global customer care team, [...]
Wetherspoon boss: ‘Not up to Burnham’ to choose who is on the high street September 11, 2026 Britain’s pubs have few more committed defenders than Sir Tim Martin. The Norwich-born businessman founded JD Wetherspoon in 1979 when he bought his first pub in Muswell Hill, initially named Martin’s Free House. Since rebranding the pub to Wetherspoon – named after a former teacher of Martin’s who could not control his class – it [...]
Illegal Premier League betting could hit £1bn within year August 21, 2026 The betting black market could take £1bn in illegal Premier League bets within a year, analysis has warned ahead of tonight’s kick-off. The Premier League returns this weekend with its 20 clubs voluntarily banning gambling and casino brands from occupying the lucrative front-of-shirt sponsorship slot. Gambling brands – not all of whom are regulated within [...]
Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops August 11, 2026 Andy Burnham is set to unveil a crackdown on vape and betting shops in a bid to boost British high streets, which the Prime Minister says have been “hollowed out” in recent decades. Burnham will on Tuesday set out plans to scrap the Blair-era “aim to permit” rule, which requires councils to accept planning applications [...]
Meta’s prediction markets app to prompt scrutiny from British regulators June 26, 2026 Meta’s reported plans to launch a standalone prediction market app could face regulatory hurdles in Britain, where rival US platforms have already struggled to gain access to one of the world’s largest betting markets. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the Facebook owner is internally developing Arena, a new experimental prediction market product [...]
Concern as gambling black market set for £40m Royal Ascot boost June 18, 2026 Illicit Royal Ascot betting could boost the gambling black market industry by £40m as punters get drawn in by unregulated operators. The horse racing spectacle is underway in Berkshire with 300,000 fans expected across five days of Royal Ascot racing. But many punters across the racing diaspora are turning to black market betting, with regulations [...]
Children as young as 14 are being targeted by unregulated gambling firms on social media June 16, 2026 Children as young as 14 are being targeted by unregulated gambling firms, with AI-generated tipsters, influencers and the manosphere blamed for exploiting teenagers on social media. Over 30 unregulated gambling sites – such as Stake and Rainbet – are accused of targeting UK users primarily aged 14-25, according to new data collected last month by [...]