From April 1, 2026, the United Kingdom will implement key changes to its gambling tax framework under the Finance Bill 2025–26, led by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
April is bringing a much heavier tax burden for Britain’s online gambling sector. From 1 April 2026, the UK will raise Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40%, a sharp increase that immediately reshapes the economics of online casino and slots. At the same time, Bingo Duty will be abolished from the same date, while a new 25% remote betting rate within General Betting Duty is set to follow from 1 April 2027. Remote bets on UK horseracing will remain at 15%, reflecting the separate levy already paid by operators on that product.
The change is part of the government’s broader tax package under Budget 2025 and the Finance Bill 2025–26. Treasury documents project the reform will raise an additional £810 million in 2026–27, rising to £1.155 billion by 2029–30. In other words, the UK is not simply tweaking gambling duties; it is repositioning online gambling as a much more heavily taxed revenue source for the Exchequer.
The impact lands on a market that is still generating significant scale. According to the Gambling Commission’s latest operator data, online gross gambling yield in Q3 2024–25 reached £1.54 billion, up 21% year-on-year, while the total number of bets and spins rose to 25.9 billion, an increase of 8%. That makes the tax rise especially important: the government is applying heavier fiscal pressure to a segment that continues to expand, not one in retreat.
For operators, the challenge is immediate. Higher duty means tighter margins, more pressure on cost control and a greater need for scale and operational efficiency. The financial strain is already visible in parts of the market: Entain reported a statutory loss after tax of £681 million for 2025, although the company said this mainly reflected non-cash impairment charges and fair value movements rather than a collapse in underlying cash generation.
The result is a clearer picture of where the UK market is heading: still licensed, still highly regulated, still large — but from April, significantly more expensive to run.
