Healey raises Machine Games Duty to 25% to fund high street support

Unbiased summary

Chancellor John Healey announced in the Budget an increase in Machine Games Duty from 20% to 25% for higher-stakes machines, effective April 2027, to fund a high street support package including business rates relief. The rise is below the 40% sought by campaigners. The Betting and Gaming Council warned it could lead to nearly 1,000 betting shops and casinos closing or being at risk, citing EY modelling. Investors welcomed the smaller-than-feared increase, with shares in Entain, Rank Group and Evoke rising. The Budget also included a £100 council tax rebate for up to 20 million households in England in bands A to D, but the IFS and economists noted that frozen income tax thresholds would offset gains, with fiscal drag pulling more people into higher tax bands.

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Coverage by outlet

Morning Star left

Angle Frames the gambling tax rise as insufficient and a missed opportunity for reform, emphasising campaigners' disappointment.

Bias The headline and lead focus on campaigners saying the 5% rise 'doesn't go far enough' and call it a 'missed opportunity,' while downplaying the industry warnings about shop closures and job losses. It omits investor relief and the broader Budget context, presenting the policy primarily through the lens of activists' unmet demands.

Healey's gambling tax rise ‘doesn't go far enough’

i Paper centre

Angle Pivots away from the gambling tax to highlight hidden 'stealth taxes' via frozen income thresholds, framing the Budget as a squeeze on living standards despite giveaways.

Bias The gambling tax rise is entirely omitted; instead, the article emphasises fiscal drag and IFS criticism that the Budget is 'fiddly' with little growth impact. It downplays the positive giveaways by stressing that energy relief is offset by effective tax rises, straying from a balanced account by focusing on one critical angle.

The tax rise Healey isn’t talking about

City AM centre-right

Angle Presents the tax rise as a 'jobs killer' and 'punitive raid' driven by ideology, amplifying industry backlash while noting investor relief.

Bias Emphasises industry warnings of closures and job losses, quoting a source calling it 'ideology on steroids,' and highlights that adult gaming centres are excluded from relief. It downplays campaigners' calls for a 40% rate as merely context and frames the smaller rise as a relief for investors, but overall tilts toward industry concerns.

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