Remote Gaming Duty Rise in the UK: RTP Stability Persists Despite Higher Tax Rates

The Remote Gaming Duty increase took effect on 1 April 2026, when the UK government raised the rate from 21% to 40% of operators’ profits on online gaming activities including casinos and slots, and observers have tracked developments through October 2026 without seeing the sharp drop in published RTP rates that Treasury projections anticipated.

Details of the Tax Adjustment

Under the revised structure operators calculate the duty directly on gross profits from remote gaming services, and this change applies uniformly across licensed platforms serving UK players while data from review sites such as casino.net continues to show RTP figures holding within previously established ranges rather than declining sharply to offset the added cost.

Figures released in the months following implementation indicate that average returns to players at major UK-licensed casinos have remained consistent with pre-April levels, and this outcome differs from initial forecasts that linked the higher duty directly to reduced payout percentages across slots and table games.

Observed Patterns in Published RTP Data

Published RTP rates for popular titles at operators including bet365 and BetMGM have stayed near 95.88% and 96.00% respectively in October 2026 reports, and analysts note that these percentages align closely with values recorded before the duty adjustment took hold.

Review platforms tracking hundreds of games have not recorded widespread reductions, while individual titles continue to display the same theoretical return percentages that appeared in earlier audits and certification documents.

Operator Adjustments and Efficiency Measures

Evoke, the parent company of William Hill and 888, reported that its duty bill rose substantially after April yet the company offset much of the increase through efficiency measures including operational streamlining and cost controls across its online platforms, and similar patterns appear at other licensed operators facing the same 40% rate.

These measures have allowed many firms to maintain existing RTP structures without immediate downward revisions, and reports through October 2026 show that the expected pass-through effect on player returns has not materialized at the scale Treasury models projected.

Operators have cited improved back-office processes and supplier negotiations as key factors that absorbed part of the added tax burden, while published game data remains stable across major review aggregators.

Planned Changes for 2027

Further adjustments to the Remote Gaming Duty framework are scheduled for 2027, and these forthcoming modifications may address the gap between current outcomes and earlier projections by refining calculation methods or introducing additional compliance requirements for operators.

Industry participants continue to monitor published RTP figures as the 2027 date approaches, and data collection efforts through sites like casino.net will provide ongoing benchmarks for any shifts that develop once the next phase of policy changes begins.

Conclusion

The period between April and October 2026 has shown that the duty increase from 21% to 40% has not yet produced the anticipated reduction in RTP rates at UK online casinos, while operators such as Evoke have reported successful offsets through efficiency initiatives and additional policy refinements remain planned for 2027.