Britain’s new gambling tax regime has delivered an early sting for Entain, pushing the Ladbrokes owner to a wider annual loss even as its core betting business continued to grow.
The FTSE-listed bookmaker said it swung to a loss of £681m [$910m] for 2025, compared with £461m [$616m] a year earlier, after booking a £488m impairment linked to the UK gambling tax increases announced in last November’s Budget.
Separately, Entain has previously estimated the new duties will add around £200m in annualized costs to its UK & Ireland online business before mitigation
The tax changes, affecting remote gaming and general betting duties, will take effect in April and have become a major issue for Britain’s betting sector, with operators warning they could squeeze margins and reshape competition in the market.
