The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has taken further steps to protest the government’s consultation on betting tax hikes.

Partnering with YouGov, the BGC commissioned research to investigate the general sentiment towards betting among British punters. The results revealed that 74% of regular punters believe betting to be inseparable from British cultures.

The BGC is now adding this survey to its wider protest against proposed HM Treasury policy changes which would see online betting brought under the same tax bracket as other types of gambling – forming the single Remote Gaming Duty capped at 21%.

This would in turn threaten to take the regulated betting market underground, and put a large number of jobs in the sector at risk, the BGC believes.

Grainne Hurst, BGC CEO, said: “Punters are clear, betting is not just a leisure activity, but a valued and long-standing part of Britain’s cultural and sporting landscape. From casinos to bingo, horseracing, football, rugby league, darts, and snooker, millions of adults enjoy betting safely and responsibly each month.

“BGC members are proud to support jobs on the high street, invest in local communities and grassroots sport, and contribute billions in taxes to fund essential public services.

“However, these significant cultural and economic contributions are now at risk. Any further increase in taxation on regulated betting and gaming operators will hurt punters and drive even more towards the illegal, online black market, which pays no tax, supports no jobs, contributes nothing to British sport, and offers no safer gambling protections.”

The BGC also claims that YouGov’s data shows an overarching public belief (31%) that the government is meddling too much with how taxpayers are choosing to spend their disposable income.

Hurst added: “We want to work with racing and the government constructively to get the balance right and prevent further tax rises, which will only undermine racing’s revenues and threaten investment in the sport, already a more expensive and less profitable product for operators. 

“Only balanced regulations and a stable tax regime can safeguard consumers, secure jobs, and ensure betting and gaming continues to be a responsible, growing sector, and a proud part of Britain’s cultural heritage.”

Two sides of the same coin

The talks to raise betting taxes also led to an unprecedented development for British horse racing, where a number of racing tracks cancelled fixtures previously scheduled for 10 September.

Interestingly, this was not coordinated with the BGC nor its members, which include some of the largest betting operators in the UK. The BGC then scolded the decision, which has weirdly put at odds two sides fighting for the same cause.

Furthermore, recent comments made by a Senior Conservative MP have seemingly hinted at the Tories being on the side of racing. This isn’t a surprise, however, as they’ll want Labour to rack up as many negative points as possible, with the Conservative Party historically having a strong voter-base in the countryside and rural areas.

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