The Gambling Commission of Great Britain has suspended, effective immediately, Deadheat Racing’s both remote and non-remote licenses in connection with social responsibility...
UK gambling tax regulations to hit Entain and evoke stocks
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, confirmed on November 26, 2025, that gambling taxes would be raised, with Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) on online betting increasing from 21% to 40%, leading to stock price drops in Entain and evoke.
Additionally, General Betting Duty (GBD), which is paid by all types of operators, will increase from 15% to 25% starting from March 2027.
Chancellor Reeves believes that these changes will raise £1 billion per year by 2031. The government is also planning a freeze in casino gaming duty bands in 2026-2027. Tax increase on the land-based casino sector starting from 2027-2028 is also to be implemented, based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) upratings.
The world’s largest online betting platforms will be affected by the raises, including Ladbrokes owner Entain, William Hill UK and 888 owner evoke and Flutter. Shares in these companies have already started dropping between 1% and 19%.
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast report showed that betting and gaming tax receipts will increase by 9.8% to £4 billion in 2025-2026, by 24.8% to £5 billion in 2026-2027, and an average of 4.3% annually to £6 billion in 2030-2031. Major operators Entain and evoke have already seen drops in share prices, the former by 6.35% and the latter by 24.2%. Additionally, evoke has withdrawn its medium-term financial targets as a response to the tax increase.
evoke announced:
“As one of the leading and largest operators in the UK market, the Group is better positioned than many to navigate this increase and, over time, potentially stands to benefit from further consolidation of market share with the likely exit of smaller operators due to the rising costs.”
With the latest announcement and forecasts for the future of the gaming industry, reactions are coming in strongly on social media, with operators now having to restructure their products and see shifts of customers turning to the black market.
Higher taxes and tighter regulations are pushing more European gamblers toward unlicensed sites, according to a new report from the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC).
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