Evoke’s revenue fell 7% year over year to £406 million in the three months to September 30, as higher UK gambling taxes and betting shop closures hit the William Hill owner.
Excluding closed shops and currency movements, revenue was down 2%. Early-season football results went in bettors’ favor, which the company said took 1 to 2 percentage points off growth and left the underlying business roughly flat.
Evoke has closed about 270 shops over the past year, more than the 200 or so closures it announced in March. Chief Executive Per Widerström said the closures show “the real impact on jobs and livelihoods from higher industry taxation.” He called on the government to think carefully before raising taxes again in the autumn budget.
Remote gaming duty rose from 21% to 40% in April 2026, and a 25% rate on remote betting takes effect in April 2027. Evoke expects the changes to add £125 million to £135 million a year to its duty bill. It plans to make up around half of that through supplier savings, lower marketing spend and other cost cuts.
Bally’s Intralot is buying Evoke in an all-share deal that values the company at about £243.1 million, or 52 pence per share. Shareholders in both companies have approved it, and completion is expected in late Q4 2026 or early Q1 2027. Bally’s Intralot has lined up about £889 million in financing to pay for the acquisition and refinance Evoke’s debt, which stood at around £1.86 billion at the end of 2025.
