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Fred Done, the 83-year-old founder of Betfred and Britain’s highest-paying taxpayer this year, has issued a stark warning about the impact of further tax increases on the gambling industry.
In an interview with the Financial Times over the weekend, Done cautioned that additional tax hikes could result in widespread betting shop closures, harm related sectors such as horse racing and accelerate the decline of the high street.
Betfred currently operates approximately 1,094 retail shops across the UK. Done highlighted the concrete risks of Machine Gaming Duty – taxes on gambling machines – doubling from 20% to 40%, a move reportedly under consideration by Chancellor John Healey ahead of the Autumn Budget.
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Faehrmann also hit back at the NSW’s latest gaming machine data that highlighted a record loss of $2.38 billion by NSW residents on pokies during Q2 of 2026.
The MP blamed the Minns Labor government’s reforms for the losses, claiming: “The gambling industry understands exactly what this government’s approach means and they love it: more reviews, more delays and more record losses.
“The question for Chris Minns is simple: how much more harm is he prepared to tolerate before he stands up to the gambling lobby?” she asked.
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Playtech CEO Mor Weizer on Thursday said the supplier was expecting to launch in Brazil early next year despite political uncertainty impacting its deal with Caixa.
In 2025, Playtech agreed a partnership to provide a platform for the launch of Brazilian state-owned bank Caixa’s betting operations.
Weizer previously said the Caixa tender could be “one of the most significant opportunities for Playtech for the coming years”.
