Entain to cut 500 jobs globally

Entain has revealed to iGaming Expert it will be cutting 500 jobs, approximately 2% of the operator’s global workforce.

iGaming Expert has been told the affected areas of operations will be product, technology and corporate activities but the workforce cutbacks are not related to a particular market or regulatory situation.

This comes as operators across the gambling sector make changes to their companies to cope with the cost of tax rises globally, most notably in the UK market where remote gaming duty jumped from 21% to 40% back in April.

An Entain spokeswoman said: “As part of our ongoing focus on improving Entain’s operational efficiency and agility, we have started to implement organizational changes which will unfortunately impact a number of roles across the Group over the coming months. 

“These changes will help create a stronger, better Entain and are a further proof point of our strategic focus on maximizing shareholder value. “We are working with everyone affected to assist them through this process.”

iGaming Expert further said the redundancies were unrelated to the planned closure of its Central and Eastern European (CEE) operations. 

The cuts will also not affect the operator’s aspirations to buy three of the up to 15 available licences for the New Zealand online casino sector, with stage one of the three-step licensing process, expression of interest, to begin on 17 July.

Entain exits CEE
Last month Entain said it is pulling out of its CEE activities in a staged way, including STS in Poland and SuperSport in Croatia.

The move will see an initial 20% divestment of Entain CEE agreed with EMMA Capital, its joint venture partner in the region, with an implied enterprise value of €2.1bn (£1.9bn) and c10x EBITDA multiple. Subject to regulatory permissions, it is projected to be finished in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Once finished, the stake of Entain in Entain CEE will fall from 67.5% to 47.5%." Following the 20% disposal, Entain CEE will be deconsolidated from the Group’s financial statements but Entain CEE will continue to be recognized in the form of share of profits and dividends until a full exit is accomplished.

Entain has revised its FY26 outlook to reflect the deal:

Reiterated 5%-7% growth in constant currency (like-for-like) for NGR.
Online EBITDA margin of 21-22% (formerly 23-24% with Entain CEE).
Keep satisfied with FY26 Group Underlying EBITDA market forecasts.
On course to deliver c£500m of annual adjusted cashflow in 2028.
Entain will disclose further guiding details during its 2026 interim results on 13 August.