Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an increase in Machine Gaming Duty to help address rising household energy costs ahead of this winter.
Brown made the remarks during an appearance on BBC’s Today programme, where he was originally invited to discuss his new book on social inequality and political voting behaviour.
The fuel crisis has dominated public debate in the UK for the past year, with rising energy prices sparking continuous political arguments about government responsibility and the available fiscal levers.
Brown was quick to identify machine gaming as a viable revenue source, arguing it could generate significant funds without harming community gambling venues like pubs and bingo halls.
His comments came after regulator Ofgem confirmed that the energy price cap would rise by four per cent from the start of October, pushing household bills to a three-year high.
When asked whether the government had acted sufficiently to cushion the blow of high energy prices, Brown called for action that was “urgent, necessary and fair within our fiscal rules.”
He stated: “I would support, for example, a machine gaming tax. Up to £500m can be raised without affecting bingo halls or pubs, but these Adult Entertainment Centres (AGCs), I would put a tax on that and I would use that money to pay for help in the crisis and a resilience fund for people who are facing difficulties with their fuel bills.”
Brown also added: “There are long-term changes that have to be made. But in the immediate future I think Burnham might want to do something along the lines I am suggesting.”
This is not the first time Brown has pushed for heavier taxation on the gambling sector, having repeatedly called ahead of last year’s November Budget for raising Remote Gaming Duty to 50%, Machine Gaming Duty to 50%, and General Betting Duty to 25%.
Then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves subsequently delivered a Budget that moved broadly in the direction Brown had advocated, raising Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40% and scheduling General Betting Duty to increase from 15% to 25% from April 2027, though Machine Gaming Duty was left unchanged.
The Social Market Foundation think tank separately proposed in June that MGD on Category B slot machines should rise to 40 per cent, bringing them in line with the new online slots tax rate, while keeping Category C pub machines at 20 per cent.
The SMF argued this approach would shift the tax burden toward riskier electronic gaming machines while protecting the hospitality industry from additional financial pressure.
The think tank estimated the measure could generate between £275m and £458m annually, and cited Survation polling of 2,047 adults showing 43 per cent supported higher taxes on these machines, against just 11 per cent who favoured cuts.
Current Prime Minister Andy Burnham has already signalled a tougher stance on the gambling industry, pledging to abolish the 2005 Gambling Act’s Aim to Permit rule and exploring cuts to business rate relief for gaming halls.
