Gordon Brown sets crosshair on Machine Gaming Duty

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has suggested an increase in Machine Gaming Duty (MGD) to help with the fuel crisis this winter. Speaking on BBC’s Today show on Wednesday, Brown was invited to discuss his new book that explores how social inequalities dictate political voting behaviour. One of the biggest topics of public discontent over the last year have been the rising costs of fuel prices in the UK, which has sparked continuous political debates as to how to solve the issue. Ultimately, it boils down to government funds, and Brown was quick to point at the gambling sector – specifically machine games – as a potential lever to put more money into the economy ahead of this winter. He said: “Our fiscal rules should never be so inflexible that we can’t do things that are urgent, necessary and fair within our fiscal rules. “I would support, for example, a machine gaming tax. Up to £500m can be raised without affecting bingo halls or pubs, but these Adult Entertainment Centres (AGCs), I would put a tax on that and I would use that money to pay for help in the crisis and a resilience fund for people who are facing difficulties with their fuel bills.” “There’s long-term changes that have to be made. But in the immediate future I think Burnham might want to do something along the lines I am suggesting.” Brown, Burnham, and betting Brown has been a regular voice in support of the gambling sector being taxed more. Ahead of last year’s November Budget, he repeatedly called for raising the Remote Gaming Duty to 50%, Machine Gaming Duty to 50%, and the General Betting Duty to 25%. Then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves subsequently announced a Budget that included tax raises not far off from what Brown had recommended months earlier. While no tax hikes were introduced to Machine Gaming Duty, Remote Gaming Duty went up from 21% to 40%. Meanwhile, General Betting Duty will increase from 15% to 25% from April 2027. This all goes to show that Brown’s voice is still influential in British politics, or at least was under the former PM Keir Starmer’s cabinet. As it is, however, current PM Andy Burnham seems to have been taking an interest in the gambling sector even without having Brown whisper in his ear. He’s embarked on a crusade against high street betting shops, aiming to reduce their numbers under his tenure. Burnham was a co-signee of a 2025 letter calling on the government to scrap the Aim to Permit rule – a clause in the 2005 Gambling Act that favoured the licensing of betting shops by local authorities. Since taking power in July, he’s now moved to remove the policy. Furthermore, Burnham is also considering a potential business rate cut for pubs and music venues by increasing the rates on vaping shops and potentially AGCs. This has not been fully confirmed yet, however.