Flutter to cut up to 1,400 UK and Ireland jobs, citing higher gambling duty
The owner of Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair said on 20 October 2026 that up to 1,400 roles in its UK and Ireland business are at risk, subject to consultation, after increases in gambling taxes.
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Flutter Entertainment said on 20 October 2026 that it plans to restructure its UK and Ireland business, putting up to 1,400 jobs at risk, iGaming Business reported. The company links the cuts to higher UK gambling duties, and the redundancies are subject to consultation, according to iGaming Business.
Flutter owns Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair, RTÉ reported. iGaming Business puts the UK and Ireland workforce at about 9,000, out of roughly 28,500 Flutter staff worldwide. Reports differ slightly on the share affected: the Racing Post gives about 15%, while NEXT.io gives about 16%.
Where the cuts fall
Roles in Leeds and Dublin are affected, along with UK and Ireland roles based at hubs in Porto, Portugal, and Cluj-Napoca, Romania, according to iGaming Business and RTÉ. NEXT.io also lists Malta among the affected locations; the other reports do not.
RTÉ reported that about 240 jobs are at risk at Flutter’s headquarters in Clonskeagh, Dublin, in functions including finance, HR, technology, training and legal, and that those staff will be offered voluntary redundancy. A Flutter spokesperson told iGaming Business that cuts can be expected “across every function”.
The reasons given
Remote gaming duty, the tax on online casino games, rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026, and a remote betting duty of 25%, up from 15%, is due in April 2027, according to iGaming Business. Kevin Harrington, chief executive of Flutter UK and Ireland, said the group “cannot fully absorb a rise of this magnitude without reducing our fixed cost base”, as quoted by iGaming Business and NEXT.io.
iGaming Business and RTÉ both report that the restructuring is expected to cost $80m to $90m, recognised in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The Betting and Gaming Council’s chief executive, Grainne Hurst, called the redundancies “another devastating blow to workers and families across our sector”, the Racing Post reported.
What happens next
The redundancies are subject to consultation, iGaming Business reported, and Dublin staff will be offered voluntary redundancy, according to RTÉ. NEXT.io reported that Flutter will publish its third-quarter 2026 results on 4 November.