Gibraltar lobbies Farage and UK parties ahead of Budget gambling tax decision

Gibraltar stepped up its lobbying in Westminster in the days before the UK Budget. Nigel Feetham, Gibraltar’s Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, met Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, according to GBC News as reported by Gambling.com. CDC Gaming, summarising SBC News, reported that Farage was welcomed by senior officials in Gibraltar.

Feetham warned that further UK gambling tax increases “would hurt both Gibraltar’s and the UK’s gaming sectors.” Gambling.com said he also raised the issue with shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick and with Andrew Rosindell. Earlier that week he hosted a gaming breakfast in London for industry chief executives and MPs from the main parties. Gambling.com also cited the Gibraltar Chronicle as reporting that, at the Conservative conference, party leader Kemi Badenoch said Gibraltar “could count on Conservative support.”

GBC’s report did not describe any commitment from the politicians he met.

Why it matters

Gibraltar’s online sector depends heavily on UK customers. CDC Gaming listed Entain, bet365, evoke, Kindred and LiveScore among the major UK-facing operators based on the Rock. The April 2026 rise in Remote Gaming Duty, from 21% to 40%, is already squeezing margins. Gambling.com cited HMRC figures showing the duty made up half of gaming tax and wagers receipts between April and July.

The pre-Budget debate centred on Machine Games Duty, which mainly affects land-based venues in Britain. But Gibraltar’s concern is broader: any new rise adds to pressure on groups that employ people on the Rock. Recent job cuts at bet365 and Flutter show how quickly UK tax changes flow through to offshore teams.

What happens next

The Budget on 28 October raised Machine Games Duty from 20% to 25% for machines with stakes above £1, from April 2027, according to Pinsent Masons. The lower rate for £1-or-less machines was unchanged. Remote betting duty still rises to 25% in April 2027, as announced last year. Gibraltar’s lobbying will now turn to how operators absorb those costs, and whether more functions leave or arrive on the Rock.