Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain (ENT.L) has announced plans to cut around 400 customer care roles across its global operations amid rising UK gambling taxes.
The group said it launched a consultation that could eliminate roughly a fifth of its 2,000-strong customer care workforce spanning 11 countries, including the UK.
Affected countries include Austria, Bulgaria, Brazil, Gibraltar, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay, alongside the UK.
The consultation is expected to conclude by November, though the company has not disclosed how many UK-specific roles are at risk.
Entain described the move as part of ongoing efforts to “address the impact of the UK’s increased gambling taxes,” citing a rapidly deteriorating operating environment.
Chief executive Stella David has written directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that further tax increases could deepen job losses across the broader betting sector.
In her letter, 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.”
The announcement comes just two months after Entain reportedly cut 500 jobs worldwide affecting product technology and group corporate functions.
The company has previously warned that new UK gambling taxes would have a “massive impact” worth around £250 million on its business operations.
Remote gaming duty rose from 21% to 40% from the start of April, and a new general betting duty rate is set to arrive next year, adding further financial strain.
Speculation is also growing that Chancellor John Healey may double machine games duty in the upcoming Budget, a move Entain says would cost it dearly.
David warned in her letter: “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 a recent independent report commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council suggesting such a move could trigger up to 1,470 betting shop closures and 15,900 job losses across the sector.
David said: “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 13,000 people in the UK, including over 12,000 across its 2,300 Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops nationwide.
David highlighted in her letter that half of Entain’s retail colleagues are women, 52% work part-time or flexible hours, and more than one in five are aged under 25.
She stressed: “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.”
The Prime Minister separately revealed plans last month to grant councils greater powers to prevent new betting shops from opening in local communities.
Rival William Hill owner Evoke has also been cutting costs, with over a fifth of its shops, totalling 278, closing in the past year, around 200 of them in May alone.
