Betfred to End Rugby Super League Sponsorship as UK Tax Burdens Bite

Betfred is preparing to end its Rugby Super League title sponsorship after first taking on the deal in 2017 and renewing it in 2023. The operator says the move is driven by higher UK gaming taxes and wage inflation — the same pressure now showing up in shop closures, job cuts, and cutbacks across the market.

1. Fred Done said Betfred is ending the Super League arrangement with a “very heavy heart,” but that the company has to reduce expenses after the latest tax hike in the UK. He also pointed to wage inflation as an added burden.
2. The tax changes came from the Autumn Budget, which raised the general betting duty to 25% and almost doubled the remote gaming duty to 40%. The new rates came into force in April this year.
3. Betfred has already started trimming its UK footprint: it closed 132 shops in July, citing the same pressures behind the sponsorship exit. The company had been a Super League sponsor since 2017 and also backed the Challenge Cup and England men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams.
4. Rhodri Jones, interim CEO of the Rugby Football League, thanked Betfred for its support over the years. On the commercial side, the takeaway is simple: when tax and labour costs move sharply, sponsorships are among the first line items to get reviewed.
5. Betfred is not alone. Entain recently announced plans to end roughly 400 customer care jobs, bet365 said it would cut up to 340 jobs, and Paddy Power said it had started a review that could lead to up to 100 shop closures and as many as 400 job losses.