Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain (ENT.L) has announced plans to eliminate approximately 400 jobs globally, citing rising tax pressures across its operations.
The company has launched a formal consultation affecting up to a fifth of its 2,000 customer care roles spread across 11 countries, including the UK.
The precise number of UK-based redundancies has not been confirmed, with the consultation process set to conclude by November.
Job cuts will also affect Entain’s operations in Austria, Bulgaria, Brazil, Gibraltar, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay.
This latest round of reductions follows an earlier announcement two months ago confirming 500 global cuts across product technology and corporate roles.
Entain chief executive Stella David wrote directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that doubling machine games duty could trigger widespread job losses across the broader gambling sector.
David said: “The proposed changes are being made to ensure our business remains competitive, financially resilient and well positioned for the future as our sector faces an increasingly challenging operating environment.”
She added: “This decision has not been made lightly, and our immediate priority is to support those of our colleagues who may be impacted through this transition.”
Entain previously warned that new UK gambling taxes would have a “massive impact” worth around £250 million on its business.
Remote gaming duty rose sharply from 21% to 40% in April, with additional general betting duty expected next year as speculation grows that Chancellor John Healey will raise machine games duty further.
In her letter to Burnham, David warned: “Doubling the standard rate of machine games duty to 40% would add around £100 million to the annual cost of running our UK retail business.”
She cited an independent study for the Betting and Gaming Council suggesting the increase could trigger 1,470 shop closures and the loss of 15,900 jobs nationwide.
David wrote: “These are not theoretical efficiencies in a financial model. They are people losing their jobs and communities losing long-established high-street businesses.”
Entain employs around 13,000 people in the UK, with more than 12,000 working across its 2,300 Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops on the high street.
David noted in her letter: “Half of our retail colleagues are women; 52% work part-time or flexible hours; and more than one in five (2,570) are aged under 25.”
The company stressed it was not seeking to avoid taxation, with David describing Entain as one of the UK’s top 20 taxpayers in her correspondence with the Prime Minister.
“We are not asking to be insulated from taxation. Indeed, Entain is one of the UK’s top 20 taxpayers. However, this would also come on top of substantial tax increases already imposed on the sector,” David cautioned.
The Prime Minister also revealed plans last month that would give local councils greater powers to block the opening of new betting shops in their areas.
Entain’s rivals are facing similar pressure, with William Hill owner Evoke reporting that over a fifth of its shops, totalling 278 locations, closed in the past year, with around 200 shutting in May alone.
