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Written question asked by Viscount Astor (Conservative) on Thursday, 3 March 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 March 2022. It was answered by Baroness Penn (Conservative) on Thursday, 10 March 2022 on behalf of the Treasury.

Gambling: Internet

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the loss of (1) tax revenue, and (2) Horse Racing Levy income, due to illegal online gambling.

Answer

(1) The information requested is not available: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not make an estimate of the amount of revenue lost through illegal online gambling.

HMRC estimates the tax gap[1], the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. For the tax year 2019 to 2020, the other excise duties tax gap, which includes betting and gaming, cider and perry, spirits-based ready-to-drink beverages and wine duties was £610 million.

(2) The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB)[2] is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and is required to collect a statutory levy, the Horserace Betting Levy. The information requested is not available from HMRC.

[1] Tax gap statistics are available at: Measuring tax gaps - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

[2] Horserace Betting Levy Board has a separate website: https://www.hblb.org.uk/

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL6588
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Horse racing Gambling Internet Taxation
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk