Taxes, Wins, and Aussie Closure See Betfred Lose £76 Million

For the year ending at the end of September, 2015, Betfred saw an operating loss of £76.7 million, which is quite the swing from the £31.5 million profit the bookies saw in the 78 weeks leading up to the end of September, 2014

Updated: 26 January 2024 By Becky Mosley

UK bookmakers Betfred have seen a combination of new taxes and some lucky punters lead to a net loss in its most recent fiscal year.For the year ending at the end of September, 2015, Betfred saw an operating loss of £76.7 million, which is quite the swing from the £31.5 million profit the bookies saw in the 78 weeks leading up to the end of September, 2014.

Point of consumption tax

Betfred was hit hardest, as all betting retailers online and retail in the UK have, by the new point of consumption tax and the rise in Machine Games Duty. Betfred claim that £16.3 million has been lost due to these factors.All is all, there was £87.3 million worth of exceptional items suffered by Betfred, including a one-off good will impairment that came with the closure of Betfred’s Australian site in December, 2014.The Australian arm of Betfred failed to gain any real traction due to the highly competitive and “overpopulated” nature of the Aussie market.

Unfavourable results

Betfred’s weekly turnover rose £30 million to over £200 million, but this was undone by unfavourable sporting results throughout the year.When it comes to racing and sporting results leading to lucky punters and losses for bookmakers, it has been said that Betfred.com and Totesport.com were said to have suffered “the most significant impact of these challenges.” betfred logo Betfred’s contribution to UK racing was up by £500k to over £13 million, which is considerably above its £9 million commitment, but that may not stop the fallout from Betfred boss Fred Dunne refusing to sign up for UK racing’s new Authorised Betting Partner Scheme.Even with the increased contribution, this may still lead to fallout from UK racing when Betfred’s Tote monopoly comes to an end in 2018.

Becky Mosley
Editor-in-Chief at Compare Casino Sites

Rebecca (Becky) Mosley has been at the heart of the UK online gambling industry since 2008 — making her one of the most experienced voices in casino comparison. She is editor-in-chief at Compare Casino Sites and personally oversees every casino review published here.

Becky brings a genuine player-first perspective to everything on CCS. Her approach has always been the same: transparency, fair bonus terms, and responsible gambling above all else. She insists on the same standards from every operator listed on the site — if a casino's terms can't stand up to plain-English scrutiny, it doesn't earn a recommendation.

Over 17 years in the industry, Becky has built deep expertise across UK Gambling Commission licensing, slot game mechanics, bonus structures, and the constantly evolving regulatory landscape. She works directly with operators and software providers to keep every listing accurate, and reviews each casino's wagering requirements, withdrawal limits, and customer support before a single rating goes live.

Becky is a Companies House registered director.