Tax blow to William Hill: Evoke liquidates 200 offices and lays off 1500 employees

One of the pillars of the British betting market, the legendary brand William Hill, is forced to take drastic measures to reduce costs. The parent company Evoke has officially confirmed plans to close about 200 land-based betting shops across the UK. This decision will affect about 15% of all retail network of the operator, which for years was considered the benchmark of offline betting.

In an official statement, Evoke's management emphasises that in the current economic situation, these outlets have ceased to be profitable and have turned into "ballast" that threatens the stability of the entire business. The main reason for such a tough optimisation is the aggressive tax policy of the state. The cost of maintaining physical offices and paying taxes absorbs profits much faster than players bring them.

The situation is exacerbated by legislative changes that came into force on April 1, 2026: the UK government drastically increased the tax on online casinos, increasing the rate from 21% to a catastrophic 40%. Although the tax applies to the online segment, the financial pressure on the holding as a whole forces it to sacrifice land-based divisions.