Brown Seeks Doubling of UK Gambling Taxes to Fund Child Poverty Relief

Former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has called for a sharp increase in taxes on the most profitable parts of the gambling sector to fund measures aimed at reducing child poverty. In an article backing proposals from the Institute for Public Policy Research, Brown said duties on online casinos and slot machines should rise from roughly 20–21% to 50%, while general betting duty on non-racing wagers would increase from 15% to 25%. The think-tank calculates the higher levies could raise up to £3.2 billion a year, money Brown argues should be used to abolish the two-child benefit cap and related limits that anti-poverty campaigners blame for pushing hundreds of thousands of families below the breadline. Brown said the reforms could lift about 500,000 children out of poverty and bring UK gambling taxation closer to rates in countries such as Austria and parts of the United States. The Betting and Gaming Council, representing gambling operators, criticised the plan as "economically reckless", warning it could drive consumers to unregulated markets and ultimately reduce tax receipts. Remote gambling revenue has risen more than 40% in the past decade, with industry profits increasingly concentrated among a small group of high-spending customers, according to the IPPR report.