Entain job cuts of up to 400 customer care roles were confirmed this week by the Ladbrokes and Coral owner. The FTSE 100 operator is consulting on the reductions, equal to a fifth of its 2,000-strong customer service team, while simultaneously lobbying the government against a further rise in gambling taxation. Chief executive Stella David has written directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that a proposed doubling of Machine Games Duty would hit betting shops and jobs across the country.
What happened
Entain is consulting on cutting around 400 customer-service positions worldwide, most of them in the UK.
Entain, the gambling company that owns Ladbrokes and Coral, is consulting on cutting around 400 customer-service roles, most of them in the UK, out of a total workforce of roughly 2,000 in that area.
The cuts affect operations across 11 countries, though the company has not said how many roles will go in each market.
This is not Entain’s first reduction this year.
The company had already reduced its workforce by 500 positions earlier this year before this latest round of proposed redundancies.
The latest round coincides with growing concern in Westminster over further tax rises on the sector, following an increase to Remote Gaming Duty that took effect in April.
David’s letter to Burnham invokes his own “Makerfield test”, a policy principle built around delivering for communities that have historically been overlooked by central government.
She warned that doubling the levy would add an additional 100 million pounds to Entain’s annual tax bill.
Citing modelling commissioned from EY,
David said a 40 percent machine games duty rate could lead to as many as 1,470 betting shop closures and 15,900 job losses across the sector, ultimately producing a net loss to the Exchequer of around 120 million pounds.
She also argued the impact would fall hardest on young people and part-time women workers.
Why the Entain job cuts matter
The dual announcement, cutting jobs while lobbying against future tax rises, is a deliberate signal to policymakers. Entain is showing the practical cost of tax decisions before they are made, rather than reacting afterwards. For an industry that has already absorbed a Remote Gaming Duty increase, the prospect of a second major tax hike within a year has pushed operators into a defensive posture on costs.
The government side of the equation looks unmoved so far.
Burnham and John Healey, his Chancellor, are understood to believe that slot machine venues operating around the clock are damaging lives and high streets.
That framing, focused on harm rather than economic contribution, suggests operators face an uphill lobbying battle before the Autumn Budget lands on 28 October.
For suppliers and affiliate partners tied to Entain’s retail estate, sustained cost-cutting in customer service has knock-on implications. Fewer support staff typically means operators lean harder on digital self-service tools and automated retention flows, shifting resource away from human touchpoints and toward acquisition channels that can demonstrate direct returns.
The bigger picture
Entain is not alone in trimming costs against a tougher UK tax backdrop.
Flutter plans to close up to 100 Paddy Power shops, Evoke up to 200 William Hill outlets, Betfred 132 shops, and Bet365 has announced 340 job cuts.
The pattern points to an industry-wide response to rising duty rates rather than a company-specific issue.
Entain’s own guidance from late last year showed the scale of the pressure. The operator previously estimated that changes to Remote Gaming Duty and a new general betting duty would add roughly £200 million to annual costs, with about a quarter of that impact offset through reduced marketing spend. A further doubling of Machine Games Duty would compound that burden considerably.
Whether Burnham’s government adjusts course before the Autumn Budget will shape not just Entain’s retail footprint but the wider calculus for land-based operators across Britain. For now, the job cuts stand as a concrete marker of how tax policy is already reshaping headcount and investment decisions well before any final decision is announced.
For more coverage of regulatory shifts affecting operator strategy, visit our industry news section.
Sources
- SBC News – Entain set to cut up to 400 jobs as CEO appeals to PM
- Focus Gaming News – Ladbrokes-owner Entain confirms 400 layoffs with warning over proposed Machine Game Duty hike
- IndexBox – Entain Plans 400 Job Cuts Amid Burnham Slot Machine Tax Threat
- Business Matters – Ladbrokes owner Entain to cut 400 jobs as it warns over gambling tax
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