Budget 2025: Gambling taxation
In the 2025 Budget the government announced three measures to reform the taxation of gambling.
Taxation
Briefing
These rmeasures are:
- an increase in the rate of remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% from 1 April 2026.
- the introduction of a new remote betting rate within general betting duty from 1 April 2027. The rate will be set at 25%. Remote bets on UK horseracing will be excluded from these changes and remain subject to current rates.
- the abolition of bingo duty from 1 April 2026.
These proposals followed a consultation on the taxation of remote gambling announced in the Autumn 2024 Budget. The consultation ran from 23 April 2025 to 21 July 2025.
It is estimated that these measures will raise £810 million in 2026/27, rising to £1.16 billion in 2030/31.
Provision to implement these three measures is included in the Finance Act 2026; specifically section 86 (increase in the rate of remote gaming duty), section 87 (a new remote betting rate), and section 88 with schedule 13 (abolition of bingo duty).
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