Hippodrome Casino executive says talk of rise in Machine Games Duty is ‘deeply alarming’

The executive chairman of The Hippodrome Casino, Simon Thomas, has spoken out ahead of the UK’s Autumn Budget being unveiled, as he says talk of a potential rise in Machine Games Duty is “so deeply alarming.”
The current Machine Games Duty (MGD) in the UK is 20%, but there have been rumors that the upcoming budget could take this to a massive 50%. In a piece penned for the Betting & Gaming Council, Simon Thomas said “any increase from the current 20 per cent rate would reverse the benefits of the Government’s own reforms before they’ve even had the chance to take root.”
This comes after the government implemented a modernization package this summer, with reforms introduced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This included amending restrictions applying to some gaming products which saw casinos have greater freedoms in what they could offer to customers.
“Those reforms have already begun to deliver. Within weeks, operators announced over £300 million in new investment. Tangible regeneration projects in communities across the UK,” Simon explained about the change.
Since opening in 2012, The Hippodrome is said to have invested £65 million in total including the most recent investment of £1.5 million for a sportsbook.
UK gambling sector faces unknown as rumors swirl about Machine Games Duty
“As I’ve said in our submission to the Treasury: ‘An increase in MGD would fundamentally undermine the sustainable footing the new reforms have created. It would reverse progress, lead to closures, and put thousands of skilled jobs at risk.’”
The casino executive continued to say casinos are only just beginning to recover from the pandemic ‘and years of economic pressure.’ “Our revenues are still 22 per cent below pre-Covid levels, equivalent to a 43 per cent fall in real terms. Rising costs from energy to wages and employer National Insurance contributions continue to squeeze margins. The Government’s reforms gave us a framework to rebuild sustainably. A tax hike now would tear that away.”
The Autumn budget will be announced on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, and it will be then made clear whether the Machine Games Duty is impacted.
Featured Image: Via Betting & Gaming Council article
The post Hippodrome Casino executive says talk of rise in Machine Games Duty is ‘deeply alarming’ appeared first on ReadWrite.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Hippodrome Casino executive says talk of rise in Machine Games Duty is ‘deeply alarming’

Meta Did Not Violate the Law When It Bought Instagram and WhatsApp, a Judge Rules

Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp did not illegally stifle competition in social networking, a judge found, a major win for the tech giant.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Meta Did Not Violate the Law When It Bought Instagram and WhatsApp, a Judge Rules

Tesla receives ride-hailing permit in Arizona in last required step to launch robotaxi service

Tesla received a ride-hailing permit this week from Arizona regulators, opening the door for the automaker to begin operating a robotaxi service in the state. A spokesperson with Arizona Department of Transportation told TechCrunch the automaker applied for a Transportation Network Company permit on November 13.  Tesla met the requirements to operate as a TNC and […]

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Tesla receives ride-hailing permit in Arizona in last required step to launch robotaxi service

Judge rules Meta doesn’t have monopoly after Instagram, WhatsApp acquisitions

The decision allows Instagram’s parent company to avoid the prospect of the company breaking up

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Judge rules Meta doesn’t have monopoly after Instagram, WhatsApp acquisitions

Hugging Face CEO says we’re in an ‘LLM bubble,’ not an AI bubble

Hugging Face co-founder and CEO Clem Delangue says all the attention is on LLMs, but smaller, specialized models will make sense in many use cases going forward.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Hugging Face CEO says we’re in an ‘LLM bubble,’ not an AI bubble

Meta’s big antitrust win, Salesforce’s deal closure, and iPhone’s popularity in China

Every weekday, the Investing Club releases the Homestretch; an actionable afternoon update just in time for the last hour of trading.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Meta’s big antitrust win, Salesforce’s deal closure, and iPhone’s popularity in China

Story Points: The (Imperfect) Way to Measure Effort in Agile Projects

Story points help Agile teams estimate effort, but they’re far from perfect. Learn how story points work, why teams use them, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
The post Story Points: The (Imperfect) Way to Measure Effort in Agile Projects appeared first on TechRepublic.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Story Points: The (Imperfect) Way to Measure Effort in Agile Projects

AI data center provider Lambda raises whopping $1.5B after multibillion-dollar Microsoft deal 

Lambda’s new raise was a solid beat over the amount that deal-watchers say it was hoping to hit.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on AI data center provider Lambda raises whopping $1.5B after multibillion-dollar Microsoft deal 

AI data center provider Lambda raises whopping $1.5B after multi-billion Microsoft deal 

Lambda’s new raise was a solid beat over the amount that deal-watchers say it was hoping to hit.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on AI data center provider Lambda raises whopping $1.5B after multi-billion Microsoft deal 

Meta wins antitrust trial as judge denies that it’s a monopoly

A federal judge ruled that Meta is not a monopoly in lawsuit with the FTC.

Posted in Tech | Tagged | Comments Off on Meta wins antitrust trial as judge denies that it’s a monopoly