Genting Casinos UK Warns of Casino Closures Amid Proposed Duty Increase

Genting Casinos UK issued a warning in September 2026 about a proposed UK Treasury plan to double Machine Games Duty on land-based gaming machines from 20% to 40%, and company projections indicated this change would add around £16 million each year to operating costs.

Officials at the firm calculated that 13 of its 32 British casinos would become unprofitable or unsustainable under the new rate, and executives outlined these figures in a comment piece that detailed internal modeling on the duty impact.

Scope of the Proposed Tax Change

The Treasury measure targets land-based gaming machines specifically, and the doubling applies directly to Machine Games Duty which operators pay on revenue from those devices, while the company noted that the increase would affect venues across its UK portfolio without corresponding adjustments to other cost areas.

Current rates stand at 20%, yet the planned shift to 40% would require immediate recalibration of financial forecasts, and analysts tracking the sector observed that similar duty adjustments in past years produced measurable pressure on smaller or lower-performing sites.

Projected Annual Cost Increases

Internal estimates from Genting Casinos UK placed the additional annual burden at approximately £16 million once the higher rate takes effect, and this figure accounts for existing machine volumes and average revenue per unit across the estate.

Those calculations also incorporated regional variations in machine usage, while the company emphasized that fixed costs such as rent, staffing, and compliance would remain unchanged even as duty payments rise.

Potential Site Closures and Profitability Thresholds

Thirteen sites were flagged as likely to cross into unprofitable territory under the doubled duty, and the firm stated that continued operation of those venues would require subsidies from stronger-performing locations or external support.

Company modeling showed that several of the affected casinos already operate near break-even points, whereas others generate modest margins that the extra £16 million aggregate cost would erase, and executives concluded that closure decisions would follow standard commercial criteria once the duty change is confirmed.

Employment and Support Role Risks

More than 850 venue-based positions stand at risk if the 13 sites close, and an additional 50 support roles tied to central operations or regional services could also be eliminated as a direct result.

Staff at affected casinos include dealers, cashiers, security personnel, and management teams, while support functions encompass marketing, maintenance, and administrative positions that serve multiple venues, and the company noted that any closures would trigger standard redundancy processes under UK employment law.

Arguments Regarding Overall Treasury Revenue

Genting Casinos UK contended that closures would ultimately reduce total tax receipts collected by the Treasury, since lost business rates, VAT, and other levies from shuttered sites would offset gains from the higher Machine Games Duty, and the comment piece presented this net-revenue scenario based on current trading data.

The company argued that surviving venues would face reduced footfall if neighboring sites close, and this secondary effect could further depress taxable revenue across the remaining estate.

Statement from CEO Paul Willcock

CEO Paul Willcock outlined the projections in the published comment piece, noting that revenue lost through closures would outweigh additional duty collected, and he presented the £16 million cost increase alongside the job and site figures to illustrate the scale of the potential impact.

Willcock referenced the firm's 32-site portfolio and highlighted the specific threshold at which 13 locations would no longer cover their costs, while the statement stopped short of detailing which exact venues might close.

Conclusion

The warning from Genting Casinos UK centers on measurable financial and employment consequences tied to the proposed Machine Games Duty increase, and the September 2026 comment piece supplies the primary data points including the £16 million annual cost, the 13 affected sites, and the combined job exposure exceeding 900 roles.

Those figures derive from internal modeling that the company shared publicly through the opinion piece, and observers within the sector continue to track Treasury responses to the submission.