The latest episode of iGaming Daily, supported by Optimove, examines the looming UK autumn statement and the potential tax hikes set to reshape the domestic gaming sector.
Host Fernando Noodt is joined by iGaming Expert and SBC News Senior Journalists, Conor Porter, and, Viktor Kayed, to unpack the uncertainty surrounding the figures and their implications for operators and hospitality groups. The discussion centres on proposals from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) to raise the Machine Gaming Duty (MGD) from 20% to potentially 50%, a move that has already triggered widespread concern across the gambling and hospitality industries. Chains such as JD Wetherspoon warn that such an increase could see post-tax profits fall by nearly half.
The episode also explores the tension between empirical evidence and policy-making, highlighting research from PWC which suggests that jurisdictions with online gaming tax rates above 25% often generate lower total tax revenue, a factor that appears to be largely overlooked by Treasury officials.
Porter, Kayed, and Noodt further examine the industry’s campaign against the proposed hikes, including warnings from the Betting & Gaming Council about potential job losses and the risk of growth in the unregulated black market if licenced operators are pushed out by punitive taxation.
With the UK autumn statement scheduled for 26 November, the episode provides timely analysis of the sector’s vulnerability and considers whether operators can maintain a working relationship with government in the wake of potentially dramatic fiscal changes.
The full episode is available now on iGaming Daily.
