Evoke Could Close 200 William Hill Betting Shops

by Jamie Smith, 14 October 2025

The company behind the William Hill betting brand has warned of the potential of huge job losses if the government moves forward with gambling tax rises.

Dozens of UK betting shops could be set to close. © HOCKULUS, Pixabay

Key Facts:

• Labour is set to increase taxes on gambling companies
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves wants to raise much-needed funds to boost public finances in the UK
• But gambling companies say the move could cause job losses
• As many as 1,500 roles at William Hill shops may be at risk

Labour has already introduced a new statutory gambling levy this year, which it says should raise in the region of £100 million for the public purse.

But chancellor Rachel Reeves hints that Labour intends to push on with fresh gambling tax rises in the upcoming budget, which are affecting the industry’s future plans.

Evoke, the owner of one of the UK’s best-known betting brands, William Hill, has spoken out about the potential impact of gambling tax rises.

It suggested that as many as 200 William Hill betting shops across the UK may have to close if new gambling taxes are introduced.

This means up to 1,500 William Hill jobs may be at risk in the coming months and years.

Industry Pushback on Impending Taxes

While many financial experts have highlighted the need for taxes to increase to boost the UK’s struggling finances, the gambling industry is pushing back on suggestions that it should pay more.

FTSE 250 company Evoke also owns the Mr Green and 888 gambling brands as well as William Hill, which it bought in 2022 for around £2 billion.

Evoke has been in large amounts of debt since the completion of that deal and the reported job losses at William Hill could help to bring it on to a firmer footing.

But the potential of higher gambling tax rises is cited as a reason why job losses are being considered at the company, which employs about 10,000 people but has seen its share price drop sharply over the last 18 months.

An Evoke spokesperson said in a statement released to the media: “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.”

“As part of our ongoing planning, we are assessing the potential impact of different overall tax scenarios on our UK operations. This includes the difficult but necessary consideration for shop closures.”

However, Evoke noted no final decisions have been made on job cuts or shop closures.

Entain Also Warns of Job Cuts

One of Evoke’s major industry rivals, Entain, has also warned of the impact of chancellor Reeves’ plans for the government to hit the gambling sector with higher taxes.

Entain owns British betting brands Coral and Ladbrokes with its chief executive Stella David pointing out tax rises could lead to the company making big cutbacks.

Ladbrokes and Coral betting shops are a common sight on UK high streets, with the two companies employing around 14,000 people around the country.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown is among the public figures to have called for gambling taxes to be increased in the UK.

Reeves is set to unveil her new budget before the end of November, with gambling companies waiting to see what the government could make new tax hikes.