BGC responds to SMF report on MGD

Today the Social Market Foundation (SMF) released a report proposing a doubling of Machine Games Duty (MGD) from 20% to 40%.

Commenting on the report, a Betting and Gaming Council Spokesperson said:

"We fundamentally oppose any increase in Machine Games Duty, and nothing in this report justifies such a damaging policy.

"Bingo clubs, betting shops, casinos, working men's clubs and miners' welfare clubs play an important role in communities across the country. The regulated betting and gaming sector supports around 109,000 jobs, contributes billions to the UK economy and provides valued leisure venues for the millions of adults who enjoy betting safely and responsibly.

"Doubling Machine Games Duty would not protect those communities. It would force venue closures, cost jobs and weaken high streets, while benefiting only the growing illegal gambling market, which pays no tax, contributes nothing to local communities and offers none of the consumer protections found in the regulated sector.

"Remarkably, the report makes no attempt to quantify the venue closures or job losses its own proposals would cause.

"Perhaps most strikingly, the report's own polling shows that a majority of people, across the political spectrum, do not support increasing taxes on gaming machines. Tax policy should be evidence-led, proportionate and based on a full assessment of its impact on jobs, investment, consumers and communities."