UK Casino Sector Warns Proposed Machine Games Duty Rise Threatens Investment and Jobs
UK casino executives warned a proposed MGD rise from 20% to 40% threatens a £200 million investment pipeline, up to 3,800 job losses and reduced staffing at 95.7% of operators. Genting signaled strong UK expansion interest if fiscal conditions stabilize. The panel welcomed 2025 reforms but stressed the need for accompanying tax certainty.
SCCG Take — The proposed duty hike risks undercutting the 2025 reforms before they deliver returns. Operators require multi-year fiscal stability to commit capital, requiring policymakers to balance revenue goals against employment and modernisation impacts.
UK casino operators have warned that a proposed increase in machine games duty from 20% to 40% could impede planned investment and put jobs at risk. The caution came during a panel discussion at the Hippodrome Casino in London involving executives from Rank Group, Genting Casinos and the Hippodrome as well as the Night Time Industries Association and Regulus Partners. The session highlighted how higher taxation combined with tighter regulation and rising costs is already affecting decisions, as reported by iGaming Business.
Richard Harris, CEO of Rank Group, said his company closed four venues in four and a half years due to a high cost base, escalating taxes and regulatory tightening. Paul Willcock, COO of Genting Casinos, described the prospect of MGD hikes as “keeping us all awake”. He added that certainty on the issue would allow investment to flow.
Genting’s UK Expansion Interest and Reform Progress
Willcock said “It is itching to invest in the United Kingdom.” He pointed to recent outlays of $5 billion on the Las Vegas Strip in the last five years, $5 billion in New York and $3 billion in Singapore. The panel welcomed Gambling Commission 2025 land-based modernisation reforms that raised permitted slot machines per casino from 20 to up to 80. Rank Group expanded its estate by 65% from 1,400 to 2,250 machines and invested £15 million in one venue. Executives stressed these changes require time to embed and must be paired with tax stability. The sector has identified a planned investment pipeline of roughly £200 million.
The Call for Fiscal Stability
An NTIA survey of 23 operators found that a duty rise would prompt 95.7% to reduce staffing, 91.3% to cut venue investment and 60.9% to close a venue outright, with total direct and indirect job losses potentially reaching 3,800. Genting employs about 3,500 people in the UK. Panellists urged the government to let the 2025 reforms bed in without immediate tax increases, warning that profit remains the source of future investment and that stable conditions over three-to-seven-year horizons are essential. The risk is that short-term revenue measures could undermine longer-term modernisation gains and local economic contributions before those benefits materialise.
Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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