Midnite has appointed Stephen Hodgson as vice-president of tax at the challenger UK and Ireland-facing operator.
Hodgson was most recently employed on a part-time basis, between September 2025 and February 2026, by the Betting and Gaming Council as the trade body’s tax policy adviser.
Prior to that, he spent almost nine years at Entain in various tax-related roles, culminating in the position of deputy group tax director from August 2024 to August 2025.
Before Entain, Hodgson, a chartered tax adviser, had a brief spell at accountancy giant PwC, as well as almost a decade at rival Deloitte.
Taking to LinkedIn, Hodgson wrote he was “thrilled” to join Midnite, hailing it the UK’s fastest-growing sportsbook and casino operator built on “formidable proprietary technology tailored to digital natives”.
He added: “Effective management of tax has never been more important, particularly in this sector, but – done right – it can be a strategic growth enabler.
“That’s why I’m so looking forward to working closely with founders Daniel Qu and Nick Wright and the rest of the rapidly growing world-class team on achieving their vision of building ‘the Monzo of betting’.”
On the appointment, Wright told EGR: “We’re really excited to have Stephen joining the team – it feels like a bit of a milestone moment for Midnite.
“We’re now a scaled, multi-jurisdictional operator and have much bigger ambitions to become a tier-one globally, so it’s important we keep strengthening the foundations that support our international growth.
“Stephen helps us do just that. As we expand into new markets and roll out our challenger blueprint globally, having the right expertise in place to manage tax across jurisdictions is a natural next step for us.”
Hodgson joins a business particularly exposed to the looming near-doubling of the UK’s remote gaming duty from 21% to 40% as of this April, while remote betting duty, bar domestic horseracing, is set to rise from 15% to 25% from April 2027.
Last October, ahead of the Budget in which the tax increases were unveiled, the former BGC tax adviser appeared before the Treasury Committee alongside the trade body’s CEO, Grainne Hurst, to raise concerns over the impact of duty hikes on the regulated industry and consumers.
At the BGC’s AGM last week, Hurst warned once again that the tax changes will play into the hands of the black market.
Hodgson’s appointment at Midnite comes a few weeks after the VC-backed operator installed ex-LiveScore Group chief product officer Sam Talbot as vice-president of product.
In January, Midnite announced a further $35m investment had been secured, following a Series C funding round led by The Raine Group.
The Series C took the firm’s total funding to around $75m, with investors so far including The Raine Group, Play Ventures, Discerning Capital and Makers Fund.
The latest raise came just nine months after a successful $10m Series B round.
Then, last October, a credit financing deal worth up to $100m was secured with Discerning Capital’s House Advantage Fund and PvX Capital.
EGR spoke to founders Wright and Qu last summer in London to hear about their vision of the Gen Z-focused brand becoming a tier-one operator in the UK.
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.
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The post UK trade body’s tax policy adviser joins Midnite first appeared on EGR Intel.
Founder-led firm recruits Stephen Hodgson ahead of the UK government’s hike to remote gaming duty from next month
The post UK trade body’s tax policy adviser joins Midnite first appeared on EGR Intel.