NTIA Report: UK Casinos Support 14,000 Jobs, Tax Rise Could Cost 3,800

^{The Hippodrome Casino in London's West End, one of the venues cited in the NTIA's new report on land-based casinos. (Photo: Another Believer / Wikimedia Commons)}

Britain's 108 licensed casinos support 14,000 direct and indirect jobs and draw 14 million customer visits a year, according to new research published by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) on 14 October 2026.

The report, titled 'Beyond Gaming: The Evolution of Britain's Land-Based Casinos as Nightlife Destinations', found the sector contributed £815m in gross value added and generated £515m in tax in 2025. It draws on surveys of customers, employees, operators and suppliers across the industry.

Casinos Drive Spending Beyond the Gaming Floor

According to the NTIA, 58% of customers said the casino was the main reason they visited the area, and 55% said they probably or definitely would not have visited at all without it. On their last visit, customers spent an average of £86.80 per party outside the casino itself, and 72% used at least one other local business.

Most visits lasted more than three hours. The report found 39% of customers spent money at another restaurant or bar nearby, 31% on transport and 30% in shops. Two in three customers used the casino's own bar and 53% ate a meal on site.

The NTIA also surveyed employees, who have spent an average of 12.8 years in the sector, with 74% describing casino work as a long-term career. Only 13% of respondents said they wanted the future of casinos to be mainly about gambling; more wanted investment in live music and entertainment, better food and daytime, non-gaming uses of the venues.

'Pubs are important, but they are only one part of the nightlife ecosystem. Casinos, nightclubs, theatres, bars, and live music venues all rely on each other to thrive,' said Michael Kill, chief executive of the NTIA, in the report.

A Tax Rise Could Put 3,800 Jobs at Risk

The report lands as the Government considers whether to increase Machine Games Duty, the tax on profits from fruit machines, roulette machines and other gaming machines, which currently stands at around 20%. The Social Market Foundation has previously suggested raising the rate to 40% could bring in roughly £450m for the Treasury, and operators fear other UK casinos could follow Genting in scaling back if the rise goes ahead.

Operators told the NTIA they have £200m of planned capital investment lined up over the next five years, including a proposed £50m destination casino at London's Trocadero. On average, 34% of that planned investment is going towards non-gambling elements such as food, entertainment and hospitality.

But 78% of operators said uncertainty about future taxation is already holding back further investment. EY modelling cited in the report estimates that a 40% Machine Games Duty rate could put 34 casinos, 3,800 jobs, £100m of planned investment and £73m of tax receipts at risk. The Hippodrome Casino in London has already put a fully developed £6m rooftop expansion on hold, according to the report.

The NTIA's report argues that the sector has started to invest since regulatory changes to land-based casinos took effect in July 2025, and that those changes now need time and fiscal stability to convert into jobs and local spending. It calls on the Chancellor to avoid further tax rises on the sector so that planned investment can go ahead.

The findings add to a wider debate over gambling taxation ahead of the Budget, with the wider betting and gaming industry also warning the Treasury that a further Machine Games Duty rise could cost jobs well beyond the casino floor.

The NTIA's full report, with its underlying survey data and methodology, is available on its website.