Flutter Entertainment recently included a review of its UK betting-shops closings, which is related to the cost-cutting program.
Company mentioned it plans to exit from low returning locations. The shop closure announcement came the same week after Betfred confirmed 132 shops closings in UK.
Flutter didn’t mention how many shops will close and specifically which brands were affected. The dates of the closure weren’t announced too.
This action is part of a Phase II savings initiative aimed at achieving $500 million in savings from operating and capital accounts by the year 2029, on top of the more than $500 million already planned under Phase I. Flutter previously shut down 57 Paddy Power locations in Ireland and the United Kingdom in October 2025.
This decision follows Flutter’s jump in gambling taxes in the UK where a 21% Remote Gaming Duty tax was increased to 40% in April. Flutter predicted that this move would lead to a reduction of about $320 million in its adjusted EBITDA for 2026 and an impact of approximately $85 million in first order mitigation.
The number of betting-shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland fell from 9,977 locations to 6,668 locations from September 2017 to September 2025, representing around a one-third decline in the overall number of betting-shops. Betfred is shutting down 132 shops and may cut more than 600 positions. Evoke previously indicated that William Hill and other betting shops might shut down following the changes in the tax policies. For several companies, the shift implies that they are concentrating on their most profitable stores instead of continuing to maintain numerous betting locations.
Flutter is yet to announce the specifics of its plans for shutting down betting-shops, but it is expected to provide the news in the Q3 results announcement in November. Nevertheless, the performance of its business in the UK and Ireland is relatively stable, as its revenue increased by 4% in Q2. This illustrates that the strategy is focused on closing weak stores, rather than quitting out of retail completely.
