Flutter Redundancies: Betfair Exits Brazil Days After Up to 1,400 UK and Ireland Jobs Put at Risk
Updated on October 24, 2026.
Flutter redundancies are spreading beyond the UK and Ireland. Flutter Entertainment, the owner of Paddy Power, Sky Bet, PokerStars and FanDuel, is closing Betfair’s operations in Brazil and cutting staff there, days after it put up to 1,400 UK and Ireland jobs at risk. Flutter confirmed the Brazil decision in a statement to NEXT.io.
Quick summary
- Brazil: Flutter will close Betfair in Brazil and keep one local brand, Betnacional, according to its statement to NEXT.io.
- Why Brazil: a provisional measure signed Sept. 25 banned online sports betting and online casino games across the country.
- UK and Ireland: on Oct. 20, Flutter put up to 1,400 roles at risk, about 16% of the division, and blamed higher UK gambling duties.
- New CEO: the cuts are among the first major moves under group CEO Dan Taylor, who took over at the start of October.
- Customers: Flutter has not announced any change for Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Bet or PokerStars customers in the UK or Ireland.
Flutter redundancies in the UK and Ireland
Flutter told staff on Oct. 20 that up to 1,400 roles are at risk across its UK and Ireland division, which employs about 9,000 people, NEXT.io reported. The cuts affect Leeds and Dublin, along with Flutter hubs in Malta, Portugal and Romania. The Yorkshire Post reported that hundreds of Leeds staff could lose their jobs in the city, home to Sky Bet. The proposals are subject to consultation, so the final number could change.
Flutter blames tax. Last year’s UK Budget raised remote gaming duty, the tax operators pay on online casino gaming profits, from 21% to 40% from April 2026, and set a 25% rate for remote betting from April 2027, up from 15%. “We cannot fully absorb a rise of this magnitude without reducing our fixed cost base,” Kevin Harrington, CEO of Flutter UK and Ireland, said, according to NEXT.io.
Flutter expects restructuring costs of $80 million to $90 million in the fourth quarter. A day after the announcement, NEXT.io reported that Flutter will also close Sky Bet’s operation in Malta, less than a year after Sky Bet moved its commercial headquarters to the island.
Why Betfair is leaving Brazil
“After reviewing its commercial strategy, Flutter Brazil has decided to focus its activities on a single brand, Betnacional, which will result in the closure of Betfair’s operations in the country,” the company told NEXT.io. Flutter said it would put its resources into the local brand “once there is clarity on the regulatory landscape” and that it was reducing its workforce “across different areas of the business.”
Brazil banned fixed-odds betting, which covers online sports betting and online casino games, with Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sept. 25. Licensed sites went offline Oct. 6. The measure ends all betting licenses 30 days after publication, on Oct. 25, with no refund of the R$30 million license fee each operator paid. Congress has until Nov. 23 to vote on it, a deadline that can be extended by 60 days.
Employees at Betfair Brazil and Betnacional began posting about job losses on LinkedIn on Oct. 22, before Flutter confirmed the decision, according to NEXT.io. The posts came from casino, customer operations, content and commercial teams. Flutter has not said how many people are leaving. Brazil’s betting association ANJL counts more than 3,500 layoffs across the sector since the ban, NEXT.io reported.
How much Brazil costs Flutter
Flutter entered Brazil by buying 56% of NSX Group, the owner of Betnacional, for about $350 million in cash. Brazil brought in $72 million of revenue in the second quarter of 2026 alone, NEXT.io reported. After the ban, Flutter said on Sept. 28 that it expected to lose about $70 million in revenue and $20 million in adjusted EBITDA this year if it could not operate for the rest of 2026, and that it expected to resume operations if Congress rejected the measure.
Date | Where | What happened |
|---|---|---|
Sept. 25 | Brazil | Provisional measure bans online sports betting and casino games |
Sept. 28 | Brazil | Flutter estimates a $70 million revenue hit for 2026 |
Oct. 1 | Group | Dan Taylor succeeds Peter Jackson as group CEO |
Oct. 20 | UK and Ireland | Up to 1,400 roles put at risk |
Oct. 21 | Malta | Sky Bet's Malta operation to close, NEXT.io reports |
Oct. 22-23 | Brazil | Staff report layoffs; Flutter confirms Betfair's exit |
Oct. 25 | Brazil | Betting licenses expire under the measure |
Nov. 4 | Group | Third-quarter results |
Taylor previously ran Flutter International, the division Flutter Brazil reports to. The company’s New York-listed shares are down about 69% over the past year, according to NEXT.io.
What it means for players in the UK and Ireland
Nothing changes for your account today. Betfair is closing in Brazil only, and Flutter has not announced changes for Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Bet or PokerStars customers in the UK or Ireland. The higher duties are paid by operators: in the UK, players don’t pay tax on gambling winnings.
PokerStars is not part of the Brazil decision either. Flutter’s statement covers only Betfair and Betnacional, and on Oct. 6 PokerStars said player-versus-player poker is not covered by Brazil’s ban, according to Poker Industry PRO.
If you play online poker and want some of your rake back, ACR Poker (35% rakeback through us) and CoinPoker (30%) accept UK players: read the ACR Poker review and the CoinPoker review, or compare all options on our best online poker sites page. In Ireland, Betsson pays 40% through us (Betsson review). Rakeback through us is paid monthly.
Sites serving British players need a UK Gambling Commission licence, and the rules target operators, not players; our guide to online poker in the UK explains the details. In Ireland, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) licenses online operators, as our Ireland guide explains.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice.
Get the news on Telegram
We’ll update this story when Flutter reports third-quarter results on Nov. 4. Join our channel for the update and for rakeback questions.
Frequently asked questions
How many jobs is Flutter cutting?
Up to 1,400 roles in the UK and Ireland are at risk, about 16% of that division, and the plans are subject to consultation. In Brazil, Flutter has not said how many staff are leaving.
Is Betfair closing in the UK?
No. Flutter is closing Betfair's operations in Brazil only. It has not announced changes for Betfair customers in the UK or Ireland.
Why is Betfair leaving Brazil?
Brazil banned online sports betting and online casino games with a provisional measure on Sept. 25. Flutter says it will focus on one local brand, Betnacional, once the rules are clear.
Are Leeds jobs affected by the Flutter redundancies?
Yes. Leeds, home to Sky Bet, is one of the main sites in the restructuring, and the Yorkshire Post reported that hundreds of Leeds staff could lose their jobs.
Does this affect PokerStars players?
Flutter has not announced any change for PokerStars players. Its Brazil statement covers only Betfair and Betnacional.
Sources
- NEXT.io: Exclusive: Flutter Brazil pulls Betfair from market, lays off staff
- NEXT.io: Flutter Entertainment puts 1,400 UK & Ireland staff at risk of redundancy
- Yorkshire Post: Hundreds of Leeds staff to lose jobs as Paddy Power owner Flutter announces 1,400 redundancies
- The Irish Times: Brazil’s gambling ban to cost Flutter €60m
- Government of Brazil: Provisional Measure 1.394/2026 (in Portuguese)
Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.
Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
