Ep 369: UK gambling faces cold autumn over potential tax rises

UK gambling faces a cold Autumn as this weekend news broke that reformist think tanks have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to squeeze sector taxes.

All eyes will be on the chancellor on 30 October as she presents Labour’s first budget in 14 years. One think tank has proposed to double tax on ‘higher risk gambling segments’, whilst the other takes the blunt measure of doubling tax on remote gambling from 21% to 42%.

And this will be the topic of the latest episode of iGaming Daily, supported by Optimove. Ted Orme-Claye, Editor of Payment Expert, was joined by Ted Menmuir, SBC’s Content Director, and Joe Streeter, Editor of CasinoBeats, to discuss the latest developments in the story.

The trio recap the industry's reaction to the news, led by the Betting and Gaming Council, who decried the think tanks as playing “fantasy economics”, as well as consider whether the proposed increase could lead to an “exodus” of operators from the UK.

They also preview what they expect to see from Labour’s budget given a rocky first 100 days in charge for Keir Starmer and his party. 

To read more about what was discussed in today's episode, click on the following links:

- https://sbcnews.co.uk/featurednews/2024/10/14/reeves-squeeze-remote-tax-uk/
- https://casinobeats.com/2024/10/14/bgcs-grainne-hurst-slams-anti-gambling-campaigners-driving-tax-rise-speculation/ 

Host: Ted Orme-Claye

Guest: Ted Menmuir & Joe Streeter

Producer: Anaya McDonald

Editor: James Ross

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