Latest news with #GrainneHurst
The Sun
10-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Proposed tax raid on gambling firms would kill jobs & damage British sports, warned industry chief
A PROPOSED tax raid on gambling firms would obliterate jobs and damage beloved British sports, an industry chief warned yesterday. Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, implored Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reject a 'headline-grabbing plan' by ex-PM Gordon Brown to hike levies gambling. She blasted: 'In 2001, Gordon Brown binned the outdated betting tax. 'The result? Companies came back, thousands of jobs were created, the Treasury took more, and the industry went global. 'Now, he's abandoned that common sense in favour of a headline-grabbing plan that would do the exact opposite - costing jobs, damaging sport and driving customers to the unsafe, unregulated black market.' Mr Brown called for a £3 billion tax raid on the sector to pay for measures to tackle child poverty, despite the Government spending £313 billion on welfare a year. He based his calls on a paper by the centre left wonk tank the IPPR, which wants betting duty to go from 15 per cent to 25 per cent on sports and 21 per cent to 50 per cent on online bingo, poker and slots. Ms Hurst cautioned the move would hammer Britain's betting and gaming sector, which already pays £4bn in taxes, generates £6.8bn for the economy and bankrolls sports including horse racing, rugby league, darts and snooker. The industry also funds a £100m-a-year programme for research, prevention and treatment of problem gambling. 1
The Guardian
28-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK gambling industry launches summer charm offensive to head off tax rise
Gambling lobbyists are staging a summer charm offensive designed to stop ministers from raising taxes on the sector, the Guardian has learned, including meeting with Treasury insiders and hosting a darts evening with Labour special advisers and MPs' staff. The Treasury is considering whether to simplify the various rates of duty applied to gambling products, a measure that the £11.5bn-a-year sector fears would increase its overall tax bill. The Betting & Gaming Council (BGC), whose members include high street bookmakers and online casinos, is understood to have outlined its objections in a submission to the Treasury, based on a report written for the trade body by the accounting firm EY. But the BGC has also embarked on a back-channel lobbying push, according to emails sent to its members and seen by the Guardian. In at least one case, a social event was promoted to Labour staff directly by the Labour Staff Network (LSN), offering them the opportunity to attend and hear speeches. The event was a darts-themed evening, hosted by BGC and Flutter plc, the owner of Paddy Power, Betfair and SkyBet, an event the trade body said would help it 'continue building constructive engagement across Westminster'. At the event, more than 100 Labour staff and ministerial special advisers heard an address from the BGC chief executive Grainne Hurst, a former Ladbrokes executive and one-time aide to the former Conservative MP Philip Davies, who has railed against tax increases. The social at the end of June was promoted via the LSN, which is run by and for the staff of Labour MPs and is independent of party HQ. It was held in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK. A Flutter UKI spokesperson said: 'The Labour staffers event was a great opportunity for us to talk about our 'Big 180' partnership with Prostate Cancer UK – built around the World Darts Championship – which has so far encouraged 350,000 men to check out their risk of developing the disease.' As part of the charm offensive, the BGC's chair, the former Labour MP Michael Dugher, met Katie Martin, the chief of staff to Rachel Reeves, and was also 'in touch' with the chancellor herself, according to the emails. A source close to Reeves said she had no formal meeting with the BGC and would not ever have discussed the tax changes. Senior BGC figures also told members in emails that they had briefed Labour MPs including Jo Platt, Gareth Snell and Adam Jogee on tax, as well as meeting the sports minister Stephanie Peacock – who is Dugher's successor in his former Barnsley East seat. The emails said Dugher also met the special adviser to the government's chief whip, shortly after the bruising defeat on the welfare reform bill. They say BGC representatives attended a campaign fundraiser event for Labour's business champion Gregor Poynton MP and Imogen Walker, the parliamentary private secretary to Reeves, attended by the prime minister's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who is Walker's husband, and the UK's ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson. The BCG also hosted events for the Tories, sponsoring the inaugural Conservatives in Sports drinks reception, addressed by the shadow culture minister, Stuart Andrew, and attended by the shadow gambling minister, Louie French, and the chair of the DCMS select committee, Caroline Dinenage. A BGC spokesperson said: 'It is entirely common and appropriate for trade bodies like the BGC to routinely meet with ministers, shadow ministers and MPs as well as officials and advisers across government. All donations and hospitality are consistent with the parliamentary and other rules and are fully declared and transparent. 'Ministers have been clear in public and in parliament that they would be meeting with the relevant stakeholders as part of the consultation on tax harmonisation proposals. That includes the BGC, which represents companies employing over 100,000 people and a sector enjoyed safely by millions of customers each month. 'The BGC also recently met with the minister leading the tax consultation, James Murray, as would be expected as part of any government consultation on measures which would impact businesses and customers.' It comes as the Treasury considers raising tax on the sector to help Reeves shore up the UK's ailing public finances. The industry took £15.6bn from British punters last year, of which £11.5bn went to betting and gaming organisations and the remainder to the national lottery and other lotteries. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion A number of Labour MPs are pushing to toughen up the government's approach to gambling – despite longstanding links of party veterans to the industry. Those who have joined the all-party parliamentary group on gambling include new MPs Beccy Cooper, Sarah Coombes, Alex Ballinger and Andrew Pakes. The MP Dawn Butler, who intends to run for mayor of London, and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, have also been pushing to hand more power to councils to block the spread of 24-hour slot machine venues. Butler launched a campaign on Wednesday to stop the spread of high street betting shops, saying her own borough of Brent in north-west London had at least 102 venues, including betting shops, casinos, and adult gaming centres. 'Nearly one person a day dies by suicide linked to gambling addiction. This is a public health crisis, and it's time our planning laws reflect that and stop these gambling companies preying on communities that are often vulnerable and deprived,' she said. Butler has submitted a parliamentary motion, calling for legislative changes to the Gambling Act 2005 to give local authorities greater power to refuse new gambling premises where there is clear evidence of community harm – especially as these venues are being targeted in areas of deprivation. Gambling companies are projected to pay £3.6bn in duties this year, of which £1.2bn is 'remote gaming duty', a tax of 21% applied to online gambling. A further £713m is 'general betting duty' paid by high street bookmakers at a lower rate of 15%. One option under consideration is to harmonise the two rates. This has met vehement opposition from the horse-racing industry, which fears the impact on a sport whose finances are already under severe pressure. Senior figures from racing have made this case personally in a meeting with Reeves, according to one industry source. Some in racing are understood to have made clear they would not object to much higher taxes on online casino products, as long as the sport is left untouched. Several gambling industry sources said this could result in taxes on online gaming products, such as casino games and digital slot machines, being raised from 21% to as much as 35%. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) thinktank is preparing a report on how much could be raised by adjusting gambling taxes, putting forward several scenarios. At last year's budget, the Treasury considered but ultimately rejected a proposal from the SMF that would have doubled taxes on the most harmful gambling products to 41%.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Bookies to donate all profits from Royal Ascot race to UK charities, BGC reveal
A number of UK charities are set to benefit from one of Royal Ascot's most famous races this week, as bookmakers pledge to donate all profits from the Britannia Stakes to good causes. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) announced that its members will give away every penny of profit from win and each-way bets on the race - held on Ladies' Day, Wednesday 19 June - to a range of UK charities. 2 This marks the sixth year in a row that the initiative has run, raising more than £3 million to date. Charities set to receive funds this year include Prostate Cancer UK, Missing People, the SAS Regimental Association, Ascot Racecourse Supports, Racing to School, Greenhouse Sports and TempusNovo. Bookmakers taking part include Flutter (Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet), Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral), William Hill, Unibet, Betway, Virgin Bet, Star Sports, QuinnBet, the Tote and Bet with Ascot. If the bookmakers don't make a profit on the race, they've agreed to donate a minimum of £200,000 to be shared between the chosen charities. Since 2019, BGC members have raised over £6 million for charities supporting health, sport and the armed forces. Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst, said: 'I'm absolutely delighted to announce that BGC members will once more be raising significant funds for a host of charities at the Britannia Stakes. "The BGC and our members are incredibly proud to have raised millions for a host of cherished good causes over the last five years, and it's fantastic to partner with Royal Ascot once again to add to that tally. "Millions of us enjoy a flutter, while Royal Ascot is the crown jewel in the sporting calendar, so it's fantastic to see Britain's bookies once again donating their profits from the Britannia Stakes. Whatever the result, charities are guaranteed to win big.' Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive at Ascot Racecourse, said: 'We are delighted that members of the Betting and Gaming Council continue to support this hugely successful initiative. "We are again thrilled that Ascot Racecourse Supports is a beneficiary – the monies raised are helping to support key community and equine legacy projects and we are hugely grateful.' Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Two-thirds of gamblers would turn to black market betting sites if the Government increased tax rate on horses
TWO thirds of punters say a tax increase on betting such as horse racing will push people to the gambling black market, a shock survey finds. A major change to the way betting and gaming is taxed online is being consulted on by Ministers triggering fears a flutter on racing and football will be more expensive. Sporting betting and online gaming are currently taxed at differing rates but the sector is warning against introducing a single new tax at a higher rate. The survey from the Betting and Gaming Council found that 65 per cent of regular punters would head to unregulated sites where no tax is paid. It comes after a recent study found 1.5 million Brits wager more than £4 billion on the betting black market every year hitting the fragile horse racing industry. The Treasury insist plans are about cutting back on bureaucracy rather than hiking or lowering tax rates. Grainne Hurst, the boss of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: 'This shocking statistic proves what's at stake if the Government forces through a self-defeating tax hike on ordinary punters. 'It's clear it will not raise more tax, it simply risks forcing huge numbers of customers out of the regulated market, with its world leading standards on player safety, into the arms of the growing, illegal, unregulated and unsafe gambling black market online. 'Any tax rises would make a mockery of the Government's growth strategy and be catastrophic for horseracing, which is already facing a bleak financial outlook. 'This is a wake up call for Government, punters have been loud and clear, hit them with further taxes and they will walk away from sports like racing, straight to the black market, triggering a spiral of decline.' Currently, there is a distinction between general betting which is taxed at 15 per cent and remote gaming which has grown hugely in recent years which is taxed at 21 per cent. Ministers are looking at bringing in a new single remote gambling tax with industry figures fearing it could be at the higher rate. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy - it is not about increasing or decreasing rates. 'During this consultation we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.' 1
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Horse racing faces fresh risk of ruin as Rachel Reeves mulls hiking taxes on betting
CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves is considering a betting tax rise — placing the struggling racing industry at fresh risk of ruin. The Treasury wants to lift the levy for punts on the gee-gees from 15 to 21 per cent to put in on a par with online gaming, slot machines and casinos. 2 Critics argue the move would see less sponsorship, prize money and support from the betting giants that keep the racing industry alive. Any new rate would be announced in a Budget. Ministers have already proposed replacing the General Betting Duty, which applies to racing, and the Remote Gaming Duty, with a single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. It would be applied to all bets, regardless of where they are laid, and comes as punters increasingly use mobile devices to place wagers. Grainne Hurst, boss of the Betting and Gaming Council, said equalising the tax rates would be 'catastrophic for racing's fragile finances'. She said a new rise, so soon after a White Paper which cost the sector more than a billion pounds, 'will not raise more money for the Treasury'. She said it was likely to force firms to push investment and jobs overseas. Punters, she added, would turn to the gambling black market online which pays no tax and has no safer gambling protections. The Treasury insisted the changes would not affect high street bookies and bingo halls and cut red tape for firms by reducing the number of returns they have to make. It said no exact rates had yet been decided.
