William Hill boss warns Chancellor gambling tax rises could trigger more betting shop closures
Comment now Next WILLIAM Hill’s boss has urged the Chancellor to halt gambling tax rises after blaming earlier increases for the closure of 270 betting shops. Per Widerstrom, chief executive of parent company Evoke, warned that another raid could put more jobs and livelihoods at risk. 4 William Hill’s boss says gambling tax rises have forced 270 betting shop closures and urges the Chancellor to halt further hikes Credit: Getty 4 Per Widerstrom, chief executive of Willian Hill’s parent company, Evoke, warns further gambling tax rises could put even more jobs on the line Credit: Charles Best Advertisement He said: “The closure of 270 shops over the past year shows the real impact on jobs and livelihoods from higher industry taxation, and we urge the UK Government to carefully consider any further increases ahead of its forthcoming autumn Budget .” His plea came as quarterly revenues fell seven per cent to £406million. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Stripping out the impact of shop closures, the decline was two per cent. Evoke says changes announced in last year’s Budget could add up to £135million to its annual tax bill from 2027. READ MORE ON SAVE OUR BETS HOUND FORCE Racing greyhound owners descend on Westminster to warn Chancellor on tax hikes ALL BETS ARE OFF Fury as 250 seaside betting shops face axe if Labour hikes gambling tax 4 The Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign is urging the Chancellor not to hike gambling taxes in next week’s Budget Credit: PA 4 The Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign Duty on online casino games rose from 21 per cent to 40 per cent in April. A new 25 per cent duty on online sports betting, excluding horse racing , is due next year. Advertisement The Government is reportedly considering increasing machine games duty, which covers gambling machines, in next week’s Budget. Widerstrom said the shop closures showed the damage higher taxes could cause and urged ministers to consider further increases carefully. Most read in Money CHILD'S PAY How to make £1k a month in a 10-12pm micro-job slot - and work from your sofa BILL BOOST Full list of energy suppliers giving away free electric blankets and heaters SCENE STEAL Cottage seen in Brit sitcom goes on sale for £375k - can you guess the show? JOBS BOOST British Airways opens applications for 200 early-career roles - how to apply Rivals have sounded similar warnings. Ladbrokes owner Entain and Grosvenor casino owner Rank have urged ministers to rethink the reported plans. Paddy Power owner Flutter is cutting around 1,400 jobs across the UK and Ireland as it seeks to offset higher duties. Its regional boss said the company could not absorb the full impact without reducing costs. Advertisement The Sun’s Save Our Bets campaign is urging the Chancellor not to hike gambling taxes in next week’s Budget Comment now