Horse racing will be spared from UK gambling tax hike: report

Sunday, November 2, 2025 8:49 PM
Image aggregated from The Telegraph.
  • Ben Riley-Smith, The Telegraph

Horse racing will be spared in Rachel Reeves’s gambling tax rises, The Telegraph understands.

The Chancellor will protect the industry from a broader raid on betting, with plans being worked up to increase taxes on slot machines in bookmakers’ shops and online gaming.

Bets placed in-person at the races have, in effect, no duty but those placed on the horses in betting shops or online are subject to a levy. Neither is expected to be raised in the Budget.

It is understood that about £1bn [$1.3bn] will be raised by the gambling tax grab in its current form, though final decisions have not yet been taken.