William Hill set to close around 200 betting shops as parent company acts following tax increases in budget
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here
William Hill parent company Evoke is set to close around 200 betting shops from May onwards, blaming the tax increases announced in the budget as one of the main factors behind the decision.
There has been speculation since last autumn that the company would seek to close a large number of its 1,300 betting shops, and staff were informed of Evoke’s decision on Tuesday morning.
Evoke, which also includes the 888 and Mr Green brands, is in the midst of a strategic review following the budget last November, which spared betting shops from tax increases but which hit online gaming operators with a near doubling of remote gaming duty to 40 per cent.
Immediately after the budget, Evoke chief executive Per Widerstrom said the company would implement mitigation plans which would involve “a significant reduction in investment into the UK, and, very regrettably, the likely need for jobs to be cut up and down the country”.
In a trading update in January, Widerstrom said those plans included “the closure of retail stores that are no longer sustainable”.
Evoke chief executive Per WiderstromCredit: 888 Holdings
A spokesperson for Evoke told the Racing Post: “Following a thorough review and further to increased cost pressures on the regulated sector, including significant tax increases announced by the government in last year’s autumn budget, from May we are closing a number of shops that are no longer sustainable. We are offering our full support to our retail colleagues who are affected by these closures.
“These decisions are never taken lightly, however in the face of rising cost pressures we must take action to ensure we can continue to invest in our core retail estate, with the right shops, in the right locations.”
It was not disclosed how many jobs are due to be affected, but a report in The Sunday Times last autumn suggested up to 1,500 jobs could be at risk, and while the number of shops affected was not revealed, it is understood to be around 200.
Earlier this year the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said that official figures showed a 30 per cent fall in betting shop numbers since 2019, declining from 8,304 in 2019 to 5,825 by March 2025, resulting in more than 10,000 job losses.
The BGC claimed that in addition to the tax increases in the budget, which would affect companies with both retail and online gaming operations, other pressures such as “unfair” business rate regimes were hastening the decline in betting shop numbers.
Read these next:
William Hill seeks return of thousands after casino game glitch credits punters in error
William Hill owner confirms shop closures after tax blow in budget
William Hill owner Evoke considers sale or break-up of business following budget tax hikes
Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.
