Bet365 cuts 340 jobs across Stoke-on-Trent, Malta and Gibraltar as UK tax and regulatory pressure builds

Bet365 is cutting roughly 340 jobs, or about 3% of its workforce, across offices in Stoke-on-Trent, Malta and Gibraltar. For high-risk operators and their payment providers, the point is simple: when tax and regulatory pressure tighten at the same time, cost cuts usually land in people, retail footprint, and, eventually, payment strategy.

1. Bet365 said the reductions are tied to ongoing economic, regulatory and tax-related challenges. The company pointed to a competitive trading environment, increased regulatory scrutiny and heavier tax burdens as the factors behind the layoffs.
2. A spokesperson said bet365 is trying to limit the number of redundancies and will start with a program of voluntary redundancies. Everyone affected has already been informed, and support measures are being put in place.
3. The cuts come alongside a separate move to close about 132 shops across the UK. That matters because retail closures and headcount reductions usually show where operators are pulling back first when margins get squeezed.
4. Bet365 is not the only operator making this kind of move. Paddy Power has started a review that could lead to the closure of up to 100 shops and affect as many as 400 jobs, while it also previously shut 21 retail locations across Ireland.
5. The broader backdrop is the UK’s Autumn Budget, which raised the iGaming tax from 21% to 40% and the sports betting duty from 15% to 25%. For PSPs and acquiring teams, that is the part to watch: higher tax and tighter scrutiny tend to reshape merchant economics before they show up in public payment-policy changes.