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The Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun newspaper has launched a full-throttled campaign against higher taxes on gambling in the run up to the Chancellor’s budget.
The paper’s new ‘Save Our Bets’ campaign was given star billing on its front page on Wednesday, demanding of the Chancellor to: “Leave betting alone,” and hitting out at a potential “budget tax grab” that would supposedly “hit thousands of jobs.” The editorial and subsequent raft of articles echo gambling industry talking points that taxes would push “more punters…into the illegal black market.”
On Thursday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also threw his weight behind the tabloid’s activism, writing in the paper that: “Labour’s pleasure police have ruined pubs and now they’re coming after your innocent flutter…[It’s] time, in the inimitable words of The Sun’s headline, to stick up for your punter” against a mooted “tax blitz.”
The tabloid has also roped in ‘Blue Labour’ peer Lord Maurice Glasman, who claimed to “have a flutter is one of the joys of life, so leave it alone”, while Labour MP Gareth Snell claimed higher taxes could cost Bet365 jobs in his seat, a warning echoed by one of Labour’s most conservative MPs, Graham Stringer.
The Conservatives have also officially backed the campaign, which comes as the Labour Chancellor is trying to find billions to fix public services and create more “fiscal headroom” in the face of economic pressures.
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However, the stories and editorials have almost entirely failed to mention that The Sun is itself a gambling company – making millions of pounds a year from its Sun Vegas and Sun Bingo arms, and therefore stands to lose out financially by any so-called ‘sin taxes’ on the sector.
The paper also has extensive commercial advertising and referral partnerships with companies like Paddy Power, even employing senior, dedicated betting staff to further the relationships.
The paper’s editorial on Tuesday night (28 October) had just one mention of this potential conflict, towards the end of the article, saying: “Both the Social Market Foundation and IPPR think-tanks want a tax rate of 50 PER CENT on online gaming, which includes our own Sun Bingo and Sun Vegas. The current rate is 21 per cent.”
The editorial, and subsequent articles, do not refer to the paper’s extensive advertising and referral deals with other betting firms, including BetFred, which is quoted in the article launching the campaign. The publication has often criticised politicians’ alleged conflicts of interest.
The official page for the ‘Save Our Bets’ campaign is tagged, among other topics, alongside: “Betting offers for horse racing,” “Betting on the go,” and “Bookie offers for football.”
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Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and progressive think tanks like the IPPR are among those calling for the Chancellor to raise taxes on gambling in order to fund public services and reduce social harm caused by gambling addiction.
The Sun’s owner, News Group Newspapers, latest accounts published in March made clear that betting was a commercial priority for the Murdoch titles: “Throughout the year, there has been a strong improvement in the Betting and Gaming division which has helped drive improved revenues.
“Product enhancements and targeted marketing in the Bingo and Vegas proposition have driven strong monthly active users. Following the success of Sun Vegas, The Sun has launched a Fabulous Vegas product during the year, helping to contribute to the overall strong Bingo & Vegas performance.”
The Sun has its own Betting and Gaming Sales Director and in July owner News UK boasted of its “partnerships” with “Unibet and Paddy Power.”
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That month, industry title Gaming Insider reported: “The Sun may look at more deals like these as it seeks to grow within betting and gaming, sourcing further revenue streams and expanding its client base.”
A betting spokesperson for The Sun was also quoted as saying: “Betting and gaming is one of the most exciting and fast-moving sectors in media, and The Sun is uniquely placed to lead it.”
Announcing another betting partnership, with Gaming Innovation Group in 2022, Tim Reynolds, director of betting and gaming at The Sun, said he was delighted to “bolster our suite of betting products.”
“The collaboration with GiG will increase our content output and support The Sun in continually delivering excellent results for our bookmaker partners.”
The Sun’s advertising partnership with Paddy Power was recently extended for a third year running. A senior employee at News UK describes his role on LinkedIn as “maximising revenue and market share opportunities from bookmakers, with a specific focus on Horse Racing, Football, Boxing & other major sporting events.”
Matt Zarb-Cousin of the Clean Up Gambling campaign, told Byline Times: “The Sun has always been a propaganda rag for commercial interests, dressed up as a voice for the working class. The difference now is it’s advocating on behalf of its own commercial interests – something an adequate press regulator wouldn’t permit.”
On Reform UK leader Nigel Farage backing The Sun’s campaign, Zarb-Cousin claimed he was “sucking up to Murdoch”, adding: “All voters including those saying they’ll vote Reform are in favour of taxing and regulating gambling more.”
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“We had the rather unedifying spectacle [on Wednesday] of a former Sun journo turned ‘Flutter’ lobbyist [appearing] on a TV channel owned by the same company that owns The Sun [Talk TV]…talking about a Sun campaign to not increase the tax [affecting] Sun Vegas and Sun Bingo, which made millions last year,” the gambling reform campaigner noted.
The 2024 Annual Report of Playtech, who provide The Sun’s online slots games, showed that revenues for “Sun Vegas and Other B2C [Business to Corporate]” partnerships were £78.9m, up 7% from the previous year. The other ‘B2C’ partnerships include Sun Bingo as well as some non-Sun firms like ‘Happybet’ and ‘Snaitech’, though The Sun deals would appear to make up the bulk of the £78.9m revenues.
TalkSport also has its own betting wing, TalkSportBet.
Gambling is seen as a key part of securing the Murdoch media empire’s future. Lachlan Murdoch, who is succeeding his father Rupert as News Corp chief, has also talked about the value of gambling to his family business, dubbing efforts to buy part of the huge US ‘sportsbook’ FanDuel a “tremendous investment.”
The gambling industry is one of the most prolific providers of ‘hospitality’ to MPs and peers, with betting companies ramping up their spending on politicians in recent years.
A “publishing principles” guide from The Sun‘s betting team states: “None of our partners have any say in the content or editorial control. They do however pay for placements of offers on some our pages. This content is clearly marked ‘Sponsored’…[We] ensure that all content, including reviews, analyses, and recommendations, is impartial.”
It goes on to say: “[We] promote responsible gambling practices by providing educational content on the risks associated with gambling, as well as resources for those who may need assistance with gambling-related issues.”
There is little mention of the risks of gambling addiction in the ‘Save Our Bets’ campaign so far.
Representatives for The Sun were contacted for comment.
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