Labour MPs have significantly intensified pressure on UK Chancellor John Healey to raise Machine Games Duty ahead of this month’s Budget.
A total of 90 MPs have signed a letter authored by Alex Ballinger, who has become one of the most prominent gambling industry critics in the House of Commons.
Ballinger won his parliamentary seat at the 2024 general election and has since established himself as a leading voice pushing for tougher measures against the gambling sector.
The letter calls for the tax on Category B gaming machines to be raised to 40%, targeting machines commonly found in betting shops, bingo halls, and adult gaming centres.
This coordinated push from Labour backbenchers represents the first significant public opposition to a sustained lobbying campaign mounted by major gambling industry figures in recent weeks.
Key retail betting executives have been vocal in their resistance to any MGD rise, including Betfred’s Fred Done, Jennings Bet’s Greg Knight, and The Rank Group’s Richard Harris.
Ballinger drew on research from the Social Market Foundation, which estimated that an MGD increase could raise between £275 million and £458 million annually for the Treasury.
Those figures would likely decline over time, however, as higher tax burdens push betting shop operators to close venues across the country.
In the letter, Ballinger wrote: “This year, we are calling on you to apply the same principles to Machine Games Duty (MGD) and notably Category B machines, particularly B3 machines which permit rapid play at stakes of up to £2 and £500 prizes.”
Ballinger also referenced Gambling Commission evidence showing that players of high-stake, high-prize machines are among the groups most likely to contact gambling help services.
The same evidence indicated that individuals experiencing gambling problems play gaming machines more frequently than those without such difficulties, strengthening the case for targeted taxation.
With the Budget fast approaching, the letter signals that the political debate around gambling taxation is set to intensify considerably in the coming days.
