On September 16, Entain revealed plans to reduce its global customer care workforce by 20%, which translates to over 400 positions cut from the 2,000 roles worldwide. This decision follows the company's recent announcement of better-than-expected profits for the first half of the year, despite facing rising gambling taxes in the UK.
CEO Stella David remarked that the changes are necessary to maintain the company's competitiveness and financial resilience in a challenging operational landscape. "This decision has not been made lightly, and our immediate priority is to support those of our colleagues who may be impacted through this transition," she stated.
In particular, Entain has expressed concerns regarding proposed alterations to the UK's Machine Games Duty (MGD) tax, which is applied to gaming machines in betting shops and other venues. The company has communicated with the Prime Minister's office, asserting that these changes could potentially raise its annual retail operational costs in the UK by approximately £100 million.
It’s important to note that the MGD issue exclusively pertains to retail gaming machines and does not relate to the proposed elimination of 400 customer care jobs currently under consultation.
This latest announcement marks the second instance of significant job cuts by Entain this year, following July's disclosure of plans to eliminate over 500 positions. Should the current customer care proposal proceed as outlined, a total of around 900 job reductions will have been communicated during 2026.
The 400 job reductions in customer services remain at the proposal stage, and the ultimate number of affected employees will be determined after the consultation process concludes. This will impact employees globally, requiring that those outside the UK adhere to the laws of their respective countries. Entain has committed to providing adequate support to employees during this transitional period.
