Nigel Farage Makes Big Claim About UK Bookmakers For 2026

Reform leader Nigel Farage has made a bold prediction about UK bookmakers for 2026. Farage, who isn’t immune to controversy, didn’t hold back in revealing his fears that bookies could fall by the wayside on the high street over the next 12 months.

Nearly seven weeks on from the Budget speech delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, there has been plenty of fallout. More pertinently, the issue of gambling taxes has been a hot topic, especially with Remote Gaming Duty (RGD) on online casino betting poised to rise from 21% to 40% in April, while online sports betting will shoot up from 15% to 25% as of April 2027.

What did Farage say?

Farage was appearing on Times Radio’s Politics Unpacked podcast when he gave his thoughts on the gambling industry. Farage didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity to make some strong assertions about the direction the betting sector is heading in.

He said:

“It’s not just, not just business rates, important though that is, it’s a whole variety of other taxes and regulations. Take gambling taxes. To think of our high streets, they are dominated by bookmakers and charity shops.

“I promise you, in a year’s time, most of these bookmakers will be gone because of recent changes on gambling taxes in this budget. And what you’re seeing with horse racing and football betting is, it’s either going to the black market or it’s mostly going abroad.”

A gambling ally

Farage has been a vocal critic of gambling taxes for some time. Apart from penning an opinion piece for The Sun last year in their ‘Save Our Bets campaign’, he is an avid horse racing fan. In previous interviews, he revealed that he attends racing meets three or four times a year and he loves Flats and jumps.

Farage threw his weight behind the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) and its petition to axe the racing tax last year. While horse racing was spared a tax increase in the budget announcement, it may only be a temporary reprieve. Many of the UK’s best horse racing betting sites have a strong retail presence; however, dark clouds appear to be forming.

Bookies bracing themselves for the worst

As things stand, gambling companies have been making contingency plans and preparing themselves to withstand the impact of an increase in taxes. Last year, it emerged that Evoke, William Hill’s owners, had hired two banking giants — Morgan Stanley and Rothschild — to decide whether to sell the group or some of its business assets.

No decision has been made on that front yet. Other gambling giants, such as Entain, who own a host of reputable brands, including Ladbrokes and Coral, have suggested that they may need to reduce their marketing expenditure due to the budget. Whereas Betfred and Paddy Power have previously hinted at widespread shop closures due to the increased gambling tax rates.

However, the fear of black market operators remains more prevalent than ever. This was something Farage alluded to when discussing gambling taxes, adding:

“Most of my friends that bet now bet with offshore bookmakers, just because it’s become so uncompetitive and so difficult here.”

Whether high street bookies will be decimated by the contents of the Budget remains to be seen. What is for certain is Farage will continue to champion the gambling industry even if it upsets the government.