Betting and Gaming Council Demands Rethink of Government’s Licence Fee Increases

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    "title": "Betting and Gaming Council Demands Rethink of Government’s Licence Fee Increases",
    "subtitle": "The Betting and Gaming Council is urging the UK government to reconsider a 25% increase in licence fees for non-remote gambling operators.",
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              "text": "The UK government is planning another tax raid on the UK gambling industry; this time increasing licence fees paid by non-remote operators by a whopping 25%.",
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              "text": "This comes at a time when betting firms are already feeling the pinch of Gambling Tax hikes, which saw the duty paid by online casinos almost doubled as of April this year.",
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              "text": "Unsurprisingly, there has been kickback from the industry, with the trade body BGC (Betting and Gaming Council) slamming the decision to inflict further misery on the already-beleaguered sector.",
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              "text": "On the Rise",
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              "text": "Earlier this year, the government – via its Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) – opened a consultation period to discuss the funding of the Gambling Commission.",
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              "text": "Within the consultation documents were a series of proposals to increase the annual licence fees paid by operators to the Gambling Commission, with options ranging from 20% to 30% - with some of the finance raised ringfenced for tackling the growing black market.",
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              "text": "In the end, the DCMS effectively ignored the responses of their consultation by implementing a 25% licence fee increase, which will come into force as of October.",
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              "text": "The governmental department claimed that increased investment costs, from tackling the black market to implementing the changes identified by the industry white paper, and annual budget cuts had necessitated an immediate fee increase.",
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              "text": "[It will] now provide certainty on the commission’s future income for the coming years",
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              "text": "The new fee regime will vary from one licence type to the next, with society lotteries to remain at their current levels to ensure that charitable donations are not diminished.",
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            {
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              "text": "Personal licences and single machine permits will rise by 25%, while other types of licence – be it bingo halls, high street betting shops, land-based casinos or adult gaming centres – will face varying levels of increases.",
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              "text": "However, the DCMS has claimed that some operators – principally those that earn less than £10 million in gross gambling yield (GGY) – will actually benefit from a real terms decrease in their fees paid.",
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              "text": "The new fee structure is likely to raise a considerable extra sum each year for the Gambling Commission, who will use the funds to tackle the key issues faced by the sector – the illegal market being one of the most prominent.",
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              "text": "Greater Accountability",
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              "text": "You won’t be shocked to read that industry professionals are largely in opposition to a fee increase – especially given the extra financial pressures they now face since the chancellor’s bombshell Gambling Tax raid.",
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              "text": "The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents the interests of more than 100 betting operators, has commented that it ‘fundamentally opposes’ the new fee structure.",
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              "text": "We fundamentally oppose any increase in Machine Games Duty and nothing in this report justifies such a damaging policy [...] It would force venue closures, cost jobs and weaken high streets, while benefiting only the growing illegal gambling market, which pays no tax, contributes nothing to local communities and offers none of the consumer protections found in the regulated sector.",
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              "text": "They were also keen to remind government officials that the gambling sector employs more than 100,000 people in the UK, while contributing billions to the Treasury in taxable revenue.",
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              "text": "In addition to the tax rises, which have placed an extra financial burden on operators, the BGC also reminded DCMS officials that the statutory levy, which was introduced in April 2025, has already cut the sector’s profitability – while contributing to the funding of problem gambling behaviours.",
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              "text": "If licence fees are to rise, commented the trade body, then the Gambling Commission must step up with ‘greater accountability, transparency and efficiency, with a continued focus on evidence-led regulation that protects consumers.’",
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