Betfred to close 132 UK shops with 600 job losses in wake of gambling tax rises

NewsUK NewsHigh street closuresA tenth of betting shops are set to be among the closures15:20, 01 Aug 2026Betfred is set to close 132 outlets Bookmakers and gaming company Betfred has revealed it is planning to shut 132 shops and cut more than 600 jobs from September. The gambling firm blames higher taxes hitting the industry and economic uncertainty for the decision and more than a tenth of its betting shops are expected to be affected.‌A consultation over the closures is now under way. There has been no mention yet of which branches are to go but the closures are expected to leave Betfred - which was founded by the now-billionaire brothers Fred and Peter Done, from Greater Manchester, in 1967 - with around remaining 1,100 shops UK-wide.‌Jo Whittaker, chief executive of Betfred, said of t