Entain is consulting on about 400 customer-care roles across its international business as it warns that higher gambling taxes could increase pressure on Britain’s betting shops.

The consultation covers about 20% of the group’s 2,000 customer-care roles across 11 countries. Entain has not disclosed how many affected posts are in the United Kingdom. The process is not a final redundancy decision.

What Entain has announced

Entain, the Isle of Man-based owner of Ladbrokes, Coral and BetMGM, said on Wednesday, September 16, that it was reviewing its customer-care operation.

The company said the plan would address higher gambling taxes and simplify the structure of the function. Reuters reported that the roles are spread across the group’s international business, but did not identify their locations or provide a UK breakdown.

Why betting shops are central to the dispute

Entain chief executive Stella David wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 11. She warned that doubling Machine Games Duty would add a major cost for labour-intensive betting-shop operators.

“A further doubling of Machine Games Duty would therefore add another significant cost to businesses already struggling to absorb major tax increases,” David wrote.

Machine Games Duty applies to qualifying gaming machines, including machines operated in betting shops. HM Revenue and Customs lists rates of 5%, 20% and 25%, depending on the cost of play and prize structure.

The tax changes already in force

The dispute follows a rise in remote gaming duty to 40% from April 1, 2026. Government policy documents also set out a 25% remote betting rate from April 1, 2027, subject to stated exclusions.

Those measures apply to remote gambling. They are separate from Machine Games Duty on qualifying machines in physical premises.

That distinction matters because the job consultation is international, while the warning about Machine Games Duty concerns betting-shop costs in Britain. The issues are linked by Entain’s broader claim that tax increases are forcing it to reduce costs, but they affect different parts of the business.

What changes for UK operators

  • The 400-role consultation remains subject to a formal process.
  • Entain has not confirmed UK job losses.
  • A possible Machine Games Duty increase is not yet a final tax measure.
  • Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Limited remains listed by the Gambling Commission with active remote and non-remote operating licences.

The Gambling Commission requires operators providing betting facilities in Great Britain, including betting shops and online services, to hold the relevant operating licences.

Its public register lists Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Limited as an active licensee for both remote and non-remote activities.

Why the consultation matters

The announcement gives the tax debate a direct employment dimension. It also shows how measures aimed at raising gambling revenue can affect different parts of a licensed operator, from customer support to high-street premises.

For workers, the immediate issue is consultation rather than confirmed dismissal. For betting-shop operators, the next key questions are whether the government proposes a higher Machine Games Duty rate, when any measure would take effect, and whether ministers publish an assessment of its impact on jobs, premises and player protection.

The consultation does not confirm UK redundancies, but it puts employment and betting-shop costs at the centre of the gambling tax debate.