Retail betting could be facing an existential threat as speculation mounts over a possible doubling of Machine Games Duty (MGD) in the government’s autumn budget.

Betfred founder Fred Done has taken his warnings to the national press, cautioning that betting shops could disappear entirely by 2030. On this episode of iGaming Daily, host Charlie Horner is joined by SBC News Editor Ted Orme-Claye and iGaming Expert Editor Joe Streeter to unpack the threat and what it means for the high street.

Orme-Claye laid out the scale of the proposal: “the lower rate going from 5% to 10%, the medium rate from 20% to 40%, and the higher rate from 25% to 50%.” He warned that fixed odds betting terminals, the product the duty applies to, generate a significant share of shop profits, meaning many venues could become unviable overnight.

Streeter argued the government may see the change as an easy win given its wider fiscal pressures: “there’s a strong possibility that because of the position they are in… he’s going to push that button, with little regard for the consequences.” He also pushed back on public perception, insisting the industry needs to do “a better job of relaying just facts basically that shops are declining and shops are closing.”

Both hosts agreed that closures already underway at Betfred, William Hill and Paddy Power are likely to accelerate if the hike goes ahead, with job losses and reduced sponsorship funding among the wider consequences.

The pair also flagged an upcoming Labour Party Conference fringe panel on gambling reform with no industry representation, raising further concerns about whether operators’ voices are being heard in Westminster.

Watch the full episode here.