On 22 November 2023, it was announced in the Treasury’s Autumn Statement 2023 (the “Statement”) that the Government will “shortly publish a consultation on proposals to bring remote gambling […] into a single tax rather than taxing it through a three tax structure as at present.”

This would represent a significant shift from the current position, whereby taxation of remote gambling (defined in the Statement as “gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio”) is through a three-tax structure consisting of remote gaming duty (21% of gross win), general betting duty (15% of gross win) and pool betting duty (15% of gross win).

When these proposals are considered alongside the impact of proposed Gambling Act reforms which include the proposed introduction of a statutory levy, there will likely be financial implications for remote gambling licensees. It is therefore vital that industry and its stakeholders are fully engaged with the Government’s consultation on single tax proposals to ensure that all potential consequences are considered.

Although the proposals do not impact the land-based sector, the Government also announced in the Statement that gross gambling yield bandings for gaming duty (payable by land-based casinos) will be frozen, again, until 31 March 2025. The Betting and Gaming Council has criticised this announcement stating that it will, in effect, mean that land-based casinos will see their tax bills increase because the bands are not being increased in line with inflation.

Next steps

We will blog further on this topic when the Government’s consultation has been published. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or if we can assist.