It’s also expected to rise again in 2019, as the tax charged by HMRC on Remote Gaming providers has now risen from 15% to 21% as of April 1 2019; the highest amount of tax paid out across any betting and gaming outlet, including the lottery. The tax is charged as a percentage of profits, calculated as stakes received less winnings paid out.
Addiction experts at UKAT (UK Addiction Treatment), who has analysed the recent HMRC report, warn that as the Government reap more and more money from gaming providers, they’ll become ‘blinded by the cash’ and continue to avoid any real prevention or treatment measures to those struggling with gaming addiction.
Eytan Alexander, himself a recovering addict and CEO of UKAT, said: “High tax bills might force some platforms to shut down, which will marginally reduce the number of sites people can game on, but ultimately what’s happening here is that the Government are making millions from online gaming providers, without any desire or intent to re-invest some of that money into helping prevent and treat gaming dependency and addiction.”
The report by HMRC also revealed the total amount of tax received in 2018 from all Betting and Gaming Duty Receipts was £2.938 billionn; £123m more than they did the year before.
Source: GMB / G3 Newswire
