Flutter Entertainment announced on 20 October 2026 that it will cut up to 1,400 positions in its UK and Ireland division (UK&I). The company, which owns Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet, attributes the decision to higher British gambling taxes.
The cuts affect staff in Leeds and Dublin, as well as specialists working for UK&I in the Porto and Cluj-Napoca hubs. Irish media reports put the figure in Ireland at about 240 roles. This is a press estimate, not a figure from a company document, which we were unable to access. Staff reportedly began being notified on the day of the announcement, and the plan depends on legal notification procedures and consultations with employees.
The tax backdrop is as follows. The Remote Gaming Duty (tax on online casino and slots) rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026. For online betting, General Betting Duty rises from 15% to 25% on 1 April 2027. Bets on British horse racing are excluded from the new regime. These betting decisions were made in the autumn 2025 budget.
The job cuts themselves are not news in Flutter's financial estimates: according to industry publications, they are part of the already announced measures to offset the tax hit. It remains unclear how many roles will actually be eliminated, on what timeline, and which functions are affected (including marketing and partner teams). The available materials do not show this.
Industry press is already debating the causes. Besides taxes, they point to consolidation, AI adoption and pressure from agile challenger brands, but these are opinions, not facts confirmed by Flutter.
What to watch: Flutter's official release and third-quarter results. They will show how the company plans to allocate the savings. For affiliates and buyers in UK&I, what matters more is whether acquisition budgets and partner program terms for the group's brands change after the cuts. There is no data on this yet.
