Flutter plans up to 1,400 job cuts across UK and Ireland, citing betting tax rises
The Paddy Power owner says higher gambling duties have prompted a restructuring affecting staff in several countries. It has not disclosed which roles are at risk.
Flutter Entertainment, the owner of Paddy Power and Sky Bet, announced plans on Tuesday, 20 October, to cut up to 1,400 jobs in its UK and Ireland division. Staff in Leeds and Dublin are among those affected by the restructuring, which Flutter attributes to higher UK betting and gaming taxes. The company has not disclosed which roles are at risk.
The Guardian reported that staff in Sunderland would also be affected, along with UK and Ireland employees at Flutter offices in Porto, Portugal, and Cluj-Napoca, Romania. RTÉ, in a report sourced to PA, said about 240 jobs were at risk in Dublin. Flutter employs about 9,000 people in the UK and Ireland, making the proposed cuts a substantial share of that workforce.
Why Flutter says it is cutting jobs
Kevin Harrington, chief executive of Flutter’s UK and Ireland business, said the increase in betting and gaming duties had ‘fundamentally changed’ the economics of the regulated UK industry. He said Flutter could not fully absorb the rise without reducing its fixed costs. The company also argued that higher duties were helping to fuel unlicensed gambling; that is Flutter’s assessment of the tax changes.
The UK’s remote gaming duty on online casino games rose from 21% to 40% in April 2026 under changes announced in the 2025 budget. A separate rise in the duty on online bets, from 15% to 25%, is due in April 2027. Flutter said its restructuring would cost between $80 million and $90 million.
The scale of the restructuring
Flutter employs 28,500 people worldwide, according to the BBC. Its UK and Ireland revenue rose 4% in the three months to June, even as the company recorded a $299 million worldwide pre-tax loss for that quarter, compared with a $205 million profit a year earlier. Those group results give context for the decision but do not establish what drove each proposed job cut.
The Guardian reported that an unnamed industry insider considered Flutter’s integration of Sky Bet, which it acquired in 2026, another likely contributor to the cuts. That view leaves the relative weight of integration and tax changes unresolved. The proposed losses follow a separate plan by Ladbrokes owner Entain to cut jobs as gambling operators respond to the tax changes.
Read in depth: Business
France summons Vinted and other marketplaces over suspected looted goods listings
French ministers called online marketplaces to a meeting after suspected listings appeared following weekend looting. Vinted says it has removed potentially linked items and...
Prosecutors allege Saudi support for former OpenAI employee accused of planting recorder
A new detention filing cites Abdulrahman Alfozan’s contacts with a Saudi royal family member and travel arrangements for his family. His lawyer disputes that he is a flight risk.
Sources and context
- Paddy Power owner blames tax rises for plan to shed up to 1,400 jobsThe Guardian
- Paddy Power cuts 1,400 jobs and blames betting tax risesBBC News
- Flutter to cut 1,400 jobs, with 240 Dublin jobs at riskRTÉ, reporting sourced to PA
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.