Evoke is said to be considering closing up to 15% of its William Hill shops across the UK amid reports that the government is set to increase gambling tax in November’s budget.
According to a Sunday Times report, several sources at Evoke have confirmed closures could take place if taxes rise. The government is expected to set out new gambling tax plans during the upcoming budget on 26 November.
The report said the number of shop closures has not yet been decided. One source suggested 120 shops could shut, while another said as many as 200 could close. This could lead to up to 1,500 job losses across the William Hill network.
Evoke currently operates approximately 1,300 William Hill shops across the UK. Should the closures reach the upper end of estimations, this could see 15% of its total retail network shut.
“As part of our ongoing planning, we are assessing the potential impact of different overall tax scenarios on our UK operations,” an Evoke spokesperson said. “This includes the difficult but necessary consideration for shop closures.
“We are mindful of potential tax increases in the forthcoming budget which would impact investment in the UK and drive more customers to the black market.”
Incidentally, Evoke is not the first major operator to warn of possible shop closures amid the planned tax rise. In recent weeks, Stella David, CEO of Entain, which counts Ladbrokes among its brands, also said retail locations could close to help save on costs.
Tax rises almost nailed on
Talk of an increase in gambling tax has been rife for most of 2025. In April, the government initially proposed a single rate for remote gambling. This would replace the current, three-banded tax rate system.
The proposal has drawn strong criticism from the gambling industry. Concerns included how it would impact harmonisation on wider issues such as risk and harm and the potential demise of the horse racing sector, which relies heavily on the betting sector.
There has been no government confirmation on what a gambling tax restructuring might look like, but in September, a group of more than 100 MPs from the governing Labour Party called for an increase in the rate of gambling tax to tackle child poverty.
The MPs said gambling in the UK is “lightly taxed” at 21% of gross gaming yield (GGY).
The letter referenced an earlier suggestion by the Social Market Foundation (SMF). In July, the SMF proposed raising Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 50%. This, it said, would bring the UK more in line with other jurisdictions in Europe and the US, where online gambling tax rates reach 50% or more.
Increases in tax would be in addition to the new statutory levy, which came into effect on 6 April this year.
UK retail struggles for Evoke
Evoke addressed the potential tax increases in its H1 results announcement, published in mid-August. At the time, Evoke CFO Sean Wilkins told the government to tread carefully in terms of how it approaches a potential tax rise.
“If you increase tax beyond a certain point, this leads to black market growth,” Wilkins said. “This would then lead to lower tax take and zero player protection, which is against the objective of government. This has been evidenced in the Netherlands
“Our expectation is to see a balanced approach between the requirement to get more cash and protecting the regulated market.”
In the same announcement, Evoke reported a 2.4% drop in revenue from its UK and Ireland retail business.
This was partly due to tough year-on-year comps due to last year’s Euro 2024 football tournament, while Evoke also made reference to “challenging conditions on the high street”. The total number of William Hill shops fell 2.2% to 1,302 by the end of the half.
However, the group did make improvements to its retail estate in the UK&I. This included the completion of the rollout of 5,000 gaming machines in March.
Speaking at the time, Evoke CEO Per Widerström said gross win per machine was 15% more than in Q3 last year, with the new rollout drawing in more customers. He added that further machine enhancements are planned, with additional legacy machines to be replaced.
“We are confident that our retail stores can continue to survive tough high street conditions in the UK and Ireland,” he said. “We will monitor profitability closely across our network.”
Up to 200 William Hill shops could be set to close if tax rises go ahead in the UK.