The head of the UK's main betting and gaming lobby group has told MPs that gambling causes no 'social ills', as she argued against raising taxes on the sector in the upcoming budget. Grainne Hurst, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, made the claim during a session of the Treasury select committee on Tuesday, where she warned that higher taxes would lead to job losses and drive punters towards unregulated operators.
Hurst's comments came as the industry pushes back against proposals to increase taxation on products considered most harmful, such as online casinos and high street betting machines. When challenged by committee member John Glen, who said taxation should address the 'significant social ill' associated with gambling, Hurst responded: 'I would disagree that there are social ills as a result of it. I think that it is properly taxed in the system.' Committee chair Meg Hillier then asked directly whether she believed any social ills were linked to gambling, to which Hurst replied: 'No.'
Hurst insisted the industry does 'everything that it possibly can in order to mitigate any harms that may be caused by our products'. But her testimony was met with disbelief from MPs, with Hillier later describing herself as 'flabbergasted' that representatives could not accept that certain forms of gambling cause harm.
The committee also heard from experts who argued the opposite case. Stewart Kenny, a founder of Paddy Power who resigned from its board in 2016, said he regretted 'some of the things I did' and criticised bookmakers for steering customers towards addictive products. He compared the practice to a barman offering a triple-strength brandy to someone ordering a shandy. Theo Bertram and Carsten Jung, from the Social Market Foundation and the Institute for Public Policy Research respectively, told MPs the government could 'significantly increase taxes on online gambling and increase revenue'.
The gambling industry has threatened job losses and shop closures if taxes rise. Last week, Betfred said it would close all 1,287 of its high street betting shops, while the owner of William Hill said it was considering closing up to 200 outlets. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce tax measures in the budget next month, with betting taxation seen as a potential revenue source.
