UK Tax Changes Force William Hill to Close 200 Betting Shops

Up to 1,500 Jobs at Risk

Staff were only informed of the decision to close shops earlier this week, with reports suggesting that up to 1,500 jobs could be at risk. The 200 expected closures represent around 15% of William Hill’s 1,300 retail locations across Britain.

Evoke, which also owns brands including 888 and Mr Green, had already signalled potential cutbacks following the Autumn Budget. Chief executive Per Widerström warned that the company would reduce investment in the UK, and potentially, jobs could be cut as part of that.

Evoke confirmed that some shops were no longer sustainable under these new conditions. A spokesperson said that “significant tax increases announced by the Government in last year’s Autumn Budget” had contributed to the closures, adding:

“These decisions are never taken lightly. However, in the face of rising cost pressures, we must take action to ensure we can continue to invest in our core retail estate, with the right shops, in the right locations.”

Misfortune or Misdirection?

The tax increases that Evoke’s spokesperson talks about will not directly affect physical gambling shops. These are applied to online gambling duties only. While it does represent a large increase (from 15 to 25% for sports betting and 21 to 40% for remote gaming), indeed, betting shops will not find themselves targeted by tax increases.

Instead, Evoke is cutting costs from its lowest-performing shops to cover the new shortfall in its online gambling taxes. It’s hugely unfortunate for the staff employed in the 200 shops, but is this deliberate misdirection on Evoke’s part?