Evoke plc is reportedly set to close up to 200 betting shops if the rumoured gambling tax hike happens in the November Budget.
Evoke plc is reportedly set to close up to 200 betting shops if the UK’s rumoured gambling tax hike is approved in the November Budget.
According to anonymous sources quoted in The Sunday Times, the 888 and William Hill operator is considering closing somewhere between 120 and 200 betting shops, or 9–15% of its around 1,300 outlets.
Evoke is the second major UK operator to hint that it would shutter shops in reaction to a large tax hike, after Entain CEO Stella David’s intervention last week.
Widespread gambling tax increases on a “polluter pays” model are expected in the November Budget to help plug the £30bn Treasury black hole, a measure with support from ex-PM Gordon Brown and 101 Labour MPs.
Speaking to NEXT.io, evoke said the company was war gaming the impact of tax rises on its UK business.
A spokesperson for evoke said: “We are mindful of potential tax increases in the forthcoming Budget which would impact investment in the UK and drive more customers to the black market.
“As part of our ongoing planning, we are assessing the potential impact of different overall tax scenarios on our UK operations. This includes the difficult but necessary consideration for shop closures.”
NEXT.io understands that no final decision has been made about the closure plans and that any outcome would be heavily dependent on what the final tax rates end up being in the budget.
More than 1,500 job losses under potential evoke plans
At the higher end of the figure quoted in The Sunday Times, this would mean 1,500 job losses across the country.
Despite the widely expected tax rise — with Chancellor Rachel Reeves even hinting at it in a recent interview — the Treasury is still officially committed to its out-for-consultation policy of tax harmonisation.
🚨🎥 WATCH: Rachel Reeves hints she will raise gambling taxes in the Autumn Budget
“They should pay their fair share of taxes and we’ll make sure that happens” pic.twitter.com/bpeRXcJIWR
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 29, 2025
This move, in which the three different gambling taxes would be brought under a single headline rate, has outraged the horse racing sector, which had traditionally been one of the bookmakers’ closest allies.
A spokesman for the Treasury told the newspaper: “We are consulting on bringing online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy. It is not about increasing or decreasing tax rates, and we welcome all views.”