Entain Customer Care Restructuring Could Affect 400 Roles
United Kingdom.- 18 September 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com Entain has launched a consultation process to restructure its Customer Care operation, with approximately 400 jobs potentially affected.
The figure represents around 20% of the roughly 2,000 employees currently working across the group’s customer-care function.
Consultation Process
The proposal remains subject to consultation, meaning the final number of affected roles could change.
Entain said supporting employees who may be impacted will be an immediate priority during the transition.
Stella David Explains the Move
Entain CEO Stella David said the proposed changes are intended to ensure that the business remains competitive, financially resilient and positioned for the future amid a more challenging operating environment.
She also stressed that the decision had not been taken lightly.
UK Tax Pressure
Entain has linked part of its cost pressure to higher gambling taxes in the United Kingdom.
Recent increases have raised the cost of operating its online business and placed additional pressure on group margins.
Further Machine Gaming Tax Risk
The company is also monitoring the possibility of further increases to the Machine Games Duty, MGD, applying to certain retail gaming machines.
Entain has estimated that doubling MGD from 20% to 40% could add around £100 million a year to the cost of running its UK retail business.
That figure represents the company’s own assessment of the potential impact.
Potential Effect on Retail
Entain argues that a substantial increase in machine taxation could create additional pressure on high-street betting shops.
The company has produced estimates for possible shop closures and employment losses across the wider UK sector under such a scenario.
Those projections represent Entain’s position within the tax debate and would depend on any measures ultimately introduced.
Second Major Workforce Adjustment of 2026
The Customer Care restructuring follows a separate announcement in July involving around 500 roles.
That earlier programme formed part of a broader effort to lower costs, improve efficiency and offset some of the impact of higher gambling taxation.
First-Half Performance
Entain reported £479.3 million in underlying EBITDA for the first six months of 2026, down 2% year-on-year.
Despite the decline, the result came in ahead of market expectations.
NGR Growth
Group Net Gaming Revenue increased 5% on a constant-currency basis during the first half.
Online NGR rose 7%, while Retail grew 1% on a comparable basis.
The company highlighted particularly strong performance in the UK and Ireland and Australia.
Online Margin
The Online underlying EBITDA margin reached 21.4% in H1.
For the full year, Entain continues to target an Online margin of between 21% and 22%.
It also expects internal mitigation measures to offset approximately one quarter of the impact from higher UK online gambling taxes during 2026.
2026 Guidance Maintained
Entain continues to expect Online NGR growth of 5% to 7% at constant currency for 2026.
The group also maintains full-year underlying EBITDA guidance of £910 million to £960 million, excluding specified items.
Debt Reduction
Cost discipline forms part of a broader financial strategy.
Entain ended June with net debt of approximately £3.6 billion and is seeking to reduce leverage.
Its phased exit from Entain CEE forms another part of that plan.
Entain CEE Divestment
The group has agreed to sell a 20% stake in Entain CEE to EMMA Capital for approximately €425 million.
The transaction implies an enterprise value of around €2.1 billion for the business.
Proceeds from Entain’s wider CEE exit are intended to support debt reduction.
Group Brands
Entain operates a portfolio of international betting and gaming brands including:
- Ladbrokes.
- Coral.
- bwin.
- Sportingbet.
- PartyPoker.
The group also owns a 50% interest in BetMGM alongside MGM Resorts International.
Industry Context
UK-facing operators are adjusting to a period of higher regulatory and tax costs.
For businesses with significant retail estates and large customer-service operations, that pressure can translate into cost reviews, automation and restructuring.
Entain’s proposed Customer Care changes form part of that wider efficiency programme.
Next Steps and Impact
Entain will continue the consultation process covering the approximately 400 Customer Care positions.
The final outcome will depend on that process and subsequent decisions by the company.
Alongside the restructuring, Entain will continue pursuing cost efficiencies, debt reduction and tax mitigation while maintaining its current financial guidance for 2026.
Editó: @fonta
