Ladbrokes owner Entain set to slash hundreds more jobs as it reels from Budget tax raid

See more This is Money on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 03:36 EDT, 16 September 2026 Ladbrokes owner Entain is set to slash hundreds more jobs in the UK, blaming Labour’s tax raid on the sector.The business, which also owns the Coral brand, said it planned to cut up to 400 customer care jobs to remain competitive as the gambling sector faces an ‘increasingly challenging operating environment’.The former Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased taxes on remote gaming from 21 per cent to 40 per cent in her last Budget, and the levy on online sports betting from 15 per cent to 25 per cent.Boss Stella David said the decision had ‘not been made lightly’, after previously announcing plans to cut 500 technology and corporate roles earlier this year.Entain employs more than 13,000 people in the UK, operating across 2,300 betting shops.It comes weeks after Bet365 announced plans to shed 300 jobs at its headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, which employs around 5,500 people, adding to more than 4,500 roles lost since Labour’s Budget last year. Gambling firm Entain will slash 400 more jobs as it battles higher taxes Gambling chiefs have warned of site closures and job losses since last year’s Budget, with fears of more gloom as Andy Burnham clamps down on rules linked to opening betting shops.He sparked outrage by lumping such sites in with vape shops and ‘dodgy businesses linked to organised crime’ as he outlined his proposals to save Britain’s ‘hollowed-out’ high streets.Entain’s chief today called on Burnham to scrap proposals to substantially increase machine games duty to 40 per cent, which threatens shop closures and job losses.In a letter to the Prime Minister, Ms David said: 'Doubling the standard rate of MGD to 40 per cent would add around £100 million to the annual cost of running our UK retail business.'[It] could lead to up to 1,470 betting shop closures and 15,900 job losses, and ultimately result in a net loss to the Exchequer of around £120 million.‘These are not theoretical efficiencies in a financial model. They are people losing their jobs and communities losing long-established high-street businesses.’She warned that any further tax changes would accelerate illegal gambling, having a knock-on impact on how much the Treasury collects in tax.‘We are not asking to be insulated from taxation,’ she said. ‘A further doubling of Machine Games Duty would therefore add another significant cost to businesses already struggling to absorb major tax increases, stacking the odds against labour-intensive high-street operators and making it harder to sustain shops, jobs and investment in local communities.’DIY INVESTING PLATFORMSAJ BellAJ BellEasy investing and ready-made portfoliosHargreaves LansdownHargreaves LansdownFree fund dealing and investment ideasinteractive investorinteractive investorFlat-fee investing from £4.99 per monthFreetradeFreetradeInvesting Isa now free on basic planTrading 212Trading 212Free share dealing and no account feeAffiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.Compare the best investing account for you