BGC Cites EY Modelling Showing 40% Machine Games Duty Could Close 1,470 Betting Shops
BGC cites EY modelling that a 40% Machine Games Duty could close 1,470 betting shops and 34 casinos, trigger 16,000 job losses and leave the Treasury £124m worse off. Opinium polling in Makerfield shows 54% of residents value betting shops’ community role, with job losses the top concern. The findings are framed against the Prime Minister’s own Makerfield test for policy.
SCCG Take — Retail operators should deploy the EY numbers and local polling to demonstrate that higher Machine Games Duty risks net fiscal loss and high-street harm. The evidence places the burden on the Chancellor to show any tax rise meets the stated test for community impact.
The Betting and Gaming Council has sharpened its warning over a proposed rise in Machine Games Duty to 40 per cent. EY modelling cited by the trade body projects up to 1,470 betting shop closures, 34 casino closures and almost 16,000 job losses, while leaving the Treasury up to £124 million worse off.
Polling by Opinium in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Makerfield constituency found 54 per cent of residents believe betting shops contribute to community life, including 51 per cent of Labour voters and 59 per cent of Reform voters. Separately, 26 per cent of Makerfield adults placed a sports or racing bet in the prior 12 months, with 54 per cent of those bets made in person.
Community and High Street Concerns
Job losses ranked as the leading worry if higher costs forced local business closures, chosen by 34 per cent of residents and 40 per cent of Labour voters. An additional 23 per cent cited empty high-street shops as a concern.
Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “Makerfield tells a very human story about what betting shops mean to communities across Britain. These are not just businesses on a spreadsheet. They are places where local people work, where customers choose to spend their money and which help keep our high streets busy.” She added that closures leave holes in the high street and urged the Chancellor to weigh the BGC Machine Games Duty evidence against the Prime Minister’s stated ‘Makerfield test’ for policy.
The Makerfield Test
As reported by iGaming Future, the BGC argues further tax rises risk exactly the damage Makerfield residents fear and may fail the test the Prime Minister has set. UK operators holding retail estates now hold concrete modelling and local sentiment data to frame their budget submissions. The fiscal and employment projections indicate that a higher Machine Games Duty rate could reduce net Treasury receipts while accelerating high-street decline, leaving policymakers to decide whether the political and economic arithmetic still stacks up.
Reporting: iGaming Future
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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