Betfred has confirmed plans to shut 132 of its UK betting shops, marking the latest major retreat from the high street by a leading bookmaker.
The closures represent 10% of Betfred’s entire UK retail network, which currently comprises more than 1,200 shops and employs around 7,500 people.
A consultation period with affected staff has already begun, with Sky News reporting that approximately 600 workers will lose their jobs as a result of the decision.
Betfred CEO Joanne Whittaker described the decision as one taken with “deep regret”, acknowledging the human cost of the closures on dedicated staff and local communities.
Whittaker cited a combination of pressures, not just the rise in gambling tax, pointing also to higher employer National Insurance contributions and broader economic uncertainty.
“We have tried hard to protect all our sites and the colleagues who work in them, but the combined impact of higher employer National Insurance contributions, wage inflation, increases in gambling taxes and wider economic uncertainty has left us with no choice,” Whittaker said.
“These are well-run shops, staffed by dedicated colleagues, and it is incredibly hard to see any of them close, but the current fiscal and regulatory environment has made it impossible to keep trading all our shops.”
The closures follow a significant increase in gambling taxes introduced from 1 April 2026, when remote gaming duty rose sharply from 21% to 40%.
A further change is set to arrive next year, when a new rate of general betting duty at 25% will be introduced, excluding self-service betting terminals, spread betting, pool betting, and horse racing.
Betfred co-founder and chair Fred Done had previously warned in October last year that the company could shut all of its UK shops if gambling tax increases went ahead as planned.
Betfred is far from alone in feeling the strain, with several other major operators already announcing reductions to their UK retail presence in recent months.
Evoke revealed in a trading update in January that it had already closed shops, following CEO Per Widerström’s public criticism of the tax hikes and warnings about damage to the UK market.
Entain CEO Stella David had also raised concerns before the increases were confirmed, telling The Times that higher taxes could compel the company “to consider its investment level in the UK.”
David warned at the time that such a move could lead to “shop closures” across Entain’s estate of roughly 2,300 high street betting outlets, underlining the scale of pressure facing the sector.
The wave of closures signals a deepening crisis for the UK’s high street betting industry, with operators struggling to absorb rising costs from multiple directions simultaneously.
