William Hill has announced it will be closing 200 high street stores just months after the Labour government’s ‘highly damaging’ gambling tax increases.
The bookmaker said on Tuesday that 15 per cent of its outlets will shut within weeks in the latest blow for the British high street.
The move comes just months after Chancellor Rachel Reeves made the decision to almost double taxes on online gambling from 21 to 40 per cent, while hiking sports betting from 15 to 25 per cent.
Her announcement was blasted by influential figures in the sector, with some describing it as ‘deeply appalling’ and a ‘devastating hammer blow’.
And William Hill’s parent company Evoke directly blamed Reeves’ tax hike for its decision to shut stores in a statement released today.
It read: ‘Following a thorough review and further to increased cost pressures on the regulated sector including significant tax increases announced by the Government in last year’s Autumn Budget, from May we are closing a number of shops that are no longer sustainable.
‘We are offering our full support to our retail colleagues who are affected by these closures.
‘These decisions are never taken lightly, however in the face of rising cost pressures we must take action to ensure we can continue to invest in our core retail estate, with the right shops, in the right locations.’
Justifying her decision in the Budget, Reeves said she was targeting the industry because it was ‘associated with the highest levels of harm’.
But the Chancellor did not increase machine gaming duty, charged on profit made from slot machines, which are also linked to gambling addiction.
The UK high street has reached a crisis point. Last year more than 13,000 stores closed with experts warning that that figure could rise in 2026.
News of William Hill’s impending closures comes after a number of other shops announced outlets would be shutting their doors for good.
GAME, which once boasted around 300 outlets across the country, announced recently that it will cease trading of its final three stores in April 2026. Those shutting are situated in Dudley, Lancaster and Sutton.
Meanwhile fashion chain River Island closed 27 stores at the start of this year as its presence on the high street continues to dwindle.
