JenningsBet warns of statutory levy woes

Head of safter gambling at JenningsBet, Vicky Knight, has penned a column in The House warning of the risks of the proposed statutory levy on independent bookies.

The UK government published the plans last year as part of its white paper. The mandatory gambling levy aims to raise funds for research, education and treatment of gambling related harms.

“Our standards body, the Betting and Gaming Council, estimates that 492 bookies, across 38 businesses, will be impacted by a 0.4 per cent levy,” Knight wrote.

“It might not seem like a lot, but independent bookmakers’ margins are simply not big enough to swallow that fee, on top of all their other costs, without risking closures and job losses.”

Currently, the UK runs a voluntary levy system whereby operators are allowed to pay whatever they want. The aim of the proposed mandatory levy, government sources claim, would be to make sure all licensed operators pay their fair share.

Knight praised the current voluntary levy system saying simply that “it works.”

She continued: ”We absolutely want to keep contributing to the levy so those charities can continue their vital work. But worrying new moves from the government might actually hinder our ability to do that, instead of helping.”