Tech hiring in the UK gambling industry has changed significantly over the past 12 months, but not because demand has disappeared. Instead, rising operating costs, regulatory change and increased pressure on margins have forced operators to take a much more selective approach to technology investment.

For betting, gaming and platform businesses planning technology headcount today, the market is more nuanced than a simple slowdown in hiring. Organisations are reducing or consolidating some areas of their technology workforce, while continuing to invest in the specialist capabilities that directly support revenue, security, compliance and player protection

This blog examines where demand is concentrated in 2026, and what the market is likely to look like by 2027.

Key takeaways:

  • Remote Gaming Duty nearly doubled from 21% to 40% in April 2026, prompting online-heavy operators to reassess their cost bases and workforce plans.
  • Restructuring in the industry has affected corporate, product, and technology functions, while compliance and risk have remained protected.
  • Demand for data, AI, fraud and player-protection engineering remains resiliant. Generalist and junior roles are facing greater pressure.
  • Financial Risk Assessments began a staged rollout in July 2026, creating fresh integration and data work for the largest operators.
  • Technology hiring is likely to be flatter overall in 2027, but demand for highly specialised skills is expected to remain strong, particularly as the next gambling duty increase takes effect in April.

UK gambling market in 2026

Total gross gambling yield for the year to March 2025 reached £16.8bn, up 7.3%, while online GGY increased by 13.1% to £7.8bn. The sector therefore continues to generate significant revenue, with online gambling in particular showing strong growth.

However, this growth is taking place alongside a substantial increase in taxation. Remote Gaming Duty jumped from 21% to 40% in April 2026, with a new 25% rate on remote betting following in April 2027. All of it sits on an industry that, on Betting and Gaming Council figures, supports around 110,000 jobs and £7.1bn in gross value added.

The result is a somewhat unusual hiring environment. The sector is not contracting across the board, and online revenues continue to grow, but confidence around workforce investment has weakened. For technology leaders, the focus has shifted from simply growing teams to demonstrating a clear return on every hire.

The tax change reshaping technology investment

The Autumn Budget 2025 introduced two significant changes for remote gambling businesses. Remote Gaming Duty increased to 40% from April 2026, while a 25% duty on remote betting is scheduled for April 2027. Bingo duty was removed, while land-based betting was comparatively protected.

The financial implications for major operators are substantial. Flutter flagged an adjusted EBITDA impact of roughly $320m in 2026 before mitigation, while Entain estimated an impact of around £200m annualised. Evoke, which owns William Hill, estimated an annual impact of £125–135m a year.

For technology leaders, these figures matter because cost pressures of this scale inevitably influence workforce structures and investment priorities. Operators are reassessing team structures, technology roadmaps and the balance between permanent and contingent resources.

Entain confirmed around 500 role reductions in July 2026, roughly 2% of its global workforce, hitting corporate functions alongside product and technology teams. Evoke had already announced 200 shop closures in March before agreeing to be acquired.

The result has been a more selective approach to technology hiring. Businesses are still investing, but the business case for each role is under greater scrutiny.

What is being cut and where demand remains strong

Technology reductions have generally been targeted rather than universal. Roles most exposed to cost-cutting include generalist platform positions, duplicated product teams, internal tooling and technology projects that are considered less critical to immediate commercial or regulatory priorities.

For multi-brand groups, consolidation is also creating opportunities to combine teams performing similar functions across different markets or operating companies.

At the same time, several areas of technology remain resilient.

  • Data and machine learning:Data continues to sit at the heart of revenue generation, customer experience and regulatory protection. Personalisation, retention modelling, pricing, player protection and responsible gambling all depend on reliable data infrastructure and increasingly sophisticated analytical capabilities. Our data recruitment specialists see the same pattern across regulated industries.
  • Fraud, paymentsand AML engineering:Instant deposits, open banking flows and source-of-funds checks require a combination of technical expertise and an understanding of financial risk and regulation. These capabilities are increasingly strategic rather than simply operational, particularly as operators face growing expectations around customer protection.
  • Cyber Security:The UK cyber security skills gap hasn't eased just because operators are cost-cutting. Around 14,109 cyber professionals are active in the UK market, and two-thirds have eight or more years' experience. For gambling businesses, this creates a particularly competitive talent market.
  • Platform reliability and cloud:DevOps and cloud demand has stayed remarkably stable.

Regulation is creating another technology delivery pipeline

Tax is not the only factor influencing technology investment. Regulatory change is also creating new programmes of work for operators.

On 7 July 2026, the Gambling Commission confirmed it would introduce Financial Risk Assessments in stages, starting with the largest operators and a first-stage trigger of £5,000 in net deposits over a rolling 24 hours. The Gambling Commision’s pilot found that 97% of relevant customers could be assessed with no friction, and fewer than 3% of accounts expected to require further assessment.

While the proportion of customers affected may be relatively small, implementing the framework still requires significant technology capability. Operators need to consider credit reference agency integrations, secure handling of sensitive financial data, alternative customer journeys and the ability to provide appropriate evidence to the regulator.

Add the statutory levy at 1.1% of GGY for online licences, and compliance becomes a permanent programme.

Which is exactly why compliance-adjacent technical roles have been the most protected jobs in the industry this year.

The junior technology hiring squeeze

One of the more concerning trends in the current market is the growing preference for experienced technology professionals over entry-level talent.

The 2026 iGaming Talent Trends report from SOFTSWISS and Pentasia found that operators are increasingly prioritising experienced technical hires while reducing theiur reliance on entry- level recruitment. The increasing use of AI and automation is one factor, as some of the routine tasks traditionally used to develop junior technology professionals are becoming automated.

From an immediate cost perspective, rationale is understandable. When margins are under pressure, businesses want people who can contribute quickly and require less investment in training.

However, there is a longer-term risk. If the industry significantly reduces its investment in early-career talent for several years, the shortage of experienced professionals will become even more pronounced further down the line.

For employers, apprenticeships, early talent pipelines and structured upskilling could therefore represent an important strategic investment. Building capability internally is likely to become increasingly valuable as competition for experienced specialists intensifies.

What can the industry expect in 2027

Three things we'd plan around:

  1. Another increase in tax pressure: The 25% remote betting duty is due to take effect in April 2027, creating another significant cost consideration for sportsbook-focused businesses. Horse racing bets stay carved out at 15%.
  2. Consolidationwill create technology demand as well as reduce costs:Acquisitions require systems to be migrated, data to be unified, platforms to be integrated, and technology estates to be rationalised. Much of this work is time-sensitive and project-based, making it well suited to specialist contractors and blended workforce models. For businesses operating with a smaller permanent technology team, bringing in specialist expertise for defined programmes may become an increasingly common approach.
  3. AI capability will become a hiring requirement:AI experience is moving beyond being a desirable addition to a technology CV. In 2027, employers are likely to place greater emphasis on candidates who can demonstrate practical experience of deploying AI within regulated environments.

In gambling, that could mean applying AI to player protection, fraud detection, risk management, personalisation and operational decision-making while maintaining appropriate governance and oversight.

The distinction will be important. Employers will increasingly look beyond candidates who have simply used AI tools and towards professionals who understand how to implement AI responsibly and at scale. Read alongside our view on building AI-ready teams and the emerging tech roles reshaping pay bands.

Our view is that 2027 could be a better year to hire than 2026, but it is unlikely to be an easier year to hire well.

Technology budgets are likely to remain closely scrutinised, meaning briefs will become more specific, and employers will continue to prioritise roles with a clear commercial, regulatory or operational purpose.

At the same time, the specialist businesses needs are likely to remain in high demand. Data, cyber security, fraud, payments, cloud, AI and regulatory technology will continue to sit at the intersection of commercial growth and regulatory necessity.

For employers, this means that workforce planning will need to become more deliberate. The question will not simply be how many people to hire, but which capabilities need to be retained permanently, which can be brought in for specific programmes, and where internal development can help address longer-term skills shortages.

Frequently asked questions

How has the 2026 tax rise affected tech hiring in the UK gambling industry?

Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026, adding hundreds of millions in annual costs for large online operators. Those costs were absorbed largely through restructuring, so technology hiring is now narrower and more specialist rather than broadly reduced.

Which tech roles are most in demand in UK gambling in 2026?

Data engineering and machine learning, fraud and AML engineering, payments integration, cyber security, and platform reliability. All five sit close to revenue or regulatory obligation, which is why they've been protected while generalist platform and tooling roles have not.

Are UK gambling operators still hiring technology staff?

Yes, though selectively. Entain confirmed around 500 role reductions in July 2026 across corporate, product and technology, but compliance-critical and data engineering hiring continued through the year, often on contract to cover regulatory deadlines.

What do Financial Risk Assessments mean for technology teams?

Financial Risk Assessments create additional technology requirements, including credit reference agency integrations, secure handling of sensitive financial data, alternative customer journeys, and auditable evidence for the Gambling Commission. Stage one applies to the largest operators at a £5,000 rolling 24-hour deposit threshold.

Is it harder to get an entry-level iGaming tech job in 2026?

The market has become more challenging for entry-level candidates as operators increasingly prioritise experienced professionals and AI begins to automate some of the routine work traditionally assigned to junior employees. Apprenticeships and structured graduate schemes are now the more realistic entry route into gambling technology. For employers, however, reducing early-career hiring could create a more significant skills shortage in the future, making apprenticeships, graduate schemes and structured development programmes increasingly important.

What should gambling employers expect from tech hiring in 2027?

Employers should expect a flatter market, combined with sharper competition for specialists. The 25% remote betting duty arrives in April 2027, consolidation will drive migration and integration programmes, and demonstrable AI capability will act as a screening criterion rather than a bonus.

Where to start

Benchmark before you budget. Our UK Digital and Tech Salary Survey covers salary and day-rate context across ten tech disciplines, which helps when you're defending a headcount case to a finance team staring at a 40% duty rate.

Browse our current tech roles or talk to us about the shape of your 2027 plan. We can help you understand where permanent hiring makes sense, where specialist project expertise could add value, and how to shape a brief that reflects the reality of today’s technology talent market.