90% of UK betting shop customers combine a visit with spending or other local activity, according to a new YouGov poll for Entain. Fifty-four percent do so on most or nearly every trip, as the autumn budget approaches.
UK betting shops keep visitors on the high street. In a YouGov survey of 1,475 UK adults, 90% combined a betting shop visit with local spending, and 68% called them established high-street fixtures. That claim comes as the remote gaming duty rises and the autumn budget is less than a week away.
- UK Betting Shops Support Local Economies
- Retail Betting Beats Cafés on Social Value
- The Autumn Budget Looms for UK Betting Shops
- What Labour and Hurst Want Next
UK betting shops are more than a place to place a bet. A YouGov poll for Entain found that 90% of betting shop customers combine their visit with spending or other local activities on at least Arden Consult some occasions. Fifty-four percent do so on most or nearly every trip.
The research covered 1,475 UK adults. It was released on the website of Entain, the parent of Ladbrokes and Coral, the two largest brands in the UK retail market. Entain’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Bejay Patel, said the findings confirm what his colleagues already know: betting shops are a cornerstone of every high street and give local business a lift.
UK Betting Shops Support Local Economies
Beyond spending, the poll found 68% of respondents called betting shops established high-street fixtures. A further 60% said they sustain local employment. Patel argued that the contribution to the economy and local communities deserves recognition, especially as the industry prepares to face another tax increase.
The retail model has a particular value that remote betting cannot copy. A betting shop is a permanent address, a visible shopfront and a place that employs staff. Entain’s What’s at Stake campaign has used that message for years, framing the retail network as part of the social fabric rather than as a place to gamble alone.
Retail Betting Beats Cafés on Social Value
The social question is interesting. Seventy-six percent of betting shop users rated their local shop positively as a place to meet and interact. That is close to the 77% rating for cafés, and materially ahead of the usual marks for other retail businesses.
As a result, the argument in favour of retail betting is not purely economic. Betting shops function as social infrastructure, especially in towns and rural areas where other public spaces are thin. Entain’s campaign has leaned on that point, presenting the shop as a place where people talk, meet and spend time.
Patel said the industry needs to recognise that contribution and the important role betting shops play in local economies. The YouGov study gives the claim a number, which is useful in a debate where the sector is currently arguing on qualitative grounds.
The Autumn Budget Looms for UK Betting Shops
The research arrives as UK betting shops face a difficult period. The remote gaming duty rose from 21% to 40% and has been in effect since April, a change the industry has absorbed with closures and job cuts. Betfred and Evoke have shut significant numbers of shops, and Flutter has announced 1,400 UK&I roles at risk as part of a restructure.
Ahead of next week’s autumn budget, a group of Labour MPs wrote to Chancellor John Healey to ask for a rise in machine games duty. Reports have put the potential increase at 20%, though The Times said a smaller rise to 25% may be under consideration. The timing is deliberate, given that remote gaming duty has already been raised once.
Grainne Hurst, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said any increase would be damaging even at 5%. Her warning covers jobs, high streets and vital funding for British racing.
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