Ireland’s tax hike for betting operators will go ahead as planned on January 1 while the government conducts its review of the hike’s impact.

Last week, media outlets reported that Ireland had decided to postpone the planned January 1 doubling of the current 1% tax on Irish-licensed bookmakers’ betting turnover, in order that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe could conduct a review of the tax hike’s likely impact on the betting industry.

However, the Finance Ministry has since confirmed that the turnover tax hike – as well as the increase in betting exchange commissions tax from 15% to 25% – will go ahead as scheduled. The Ministry has promised to consider revising the tax in the nation’s 2020 budget depending the results of the review, which will reportedly be delivered sometime in Q1 2019.

The Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) has warned that the increased turnover tax will lead to the closure of hundreds of local betting shops, particularly those run by independent operators. The IBA has lobbied the government to consider an alternate scheme in which retail bookies would pay 10% tax on betting revenue, with online bookies paying 20%.