On Sunday 2 November, gambling campaigner Matt Zarb-Cousin faced off against gambling advocate Abbie MacGregor. Zarb-Cousin was there to argue that online casinos need to pay more taxes; MacGregor was there to let everyone know her opponent worked for Jeremy C-C- Corbyn:<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re unable to make a convincing case for excluding the gambling industry from tax increases, simply bring up Jeremy Corbyn pic.twitter.com\/mGmqdLLaGV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Will these people ever move on?<\/p>\n The Corbyn gambling taxes?<\/p>\n This may come as a surprise, but the gambling industry is not your friend. In fact, they look at human beings in the same way that a rat looks at a kebab.<\/p>\n Zarb-Cousin was speaking on behalf of Clean Up Gambling, who campaign against the industry\u2019s worst instincts. They\u2019re not the only ones to speak out, with industry stalwarts also admitting these companies have gone too far:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like ordering a shandy and the barman offering you a triple-strength brandy on the house\u201d<\/p>\n Ex Paddy Power co-founder Stewart Kenny at today\u2019s Treasury Select Committee on why bookmakers need to be disincentivised from pushing people onto the most addictive products. pic.twitter.com\/SK42yhlYsG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clean Up Gambling (@cleanupgambling) October 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n In the video at the top, MacGregor argues against tax rises for casinos, stating:<\/p>\n But lots of people do gamble and as you rightly said, it will be passed down to the consumer, like in every business.<\/p>\n Oh it will, will it?<\/p>\n How about instead of letting these vultures raise prices, we tell them \u2018no\u2018 \u2013 \u2018fuck off\u2018 \u2013 you\u2019re going to take the hit, or you\u2019re going to pack up shop.<\/p>\n And while we\u2019re at it, why are we letting \u201cevery business\u201d get away with this? As we recently reported,\u00a0supermarkets keep inflating prices despite enjoying record profits<\/a> \u2013 seriously \u2013\u00a0why are we letting this happen?<\/p>\n Worried her point might not land, MacGregor topped it off as follows:<\/p>\n Err, but what I \u2013 I mean \u2013 Mat used to work for\u2026 Jeremy Corbyn.<\/p>\n In debate terms, this is like dropping a gone-off cherry on a dog turd.<\/p>\n She tried to square the circle by claiming:<\/p>\n I can\u2019t think of an industry that Matt or Jeremy Corbyn wouldn\u2019t want to tax into oblivion.<\/p>\n Given that the gambling industry has a gross annual profit of \u00a315.6bn<\/a>, it\u2019s ridiculous for MacGregor to cry poverty. Do you know who is at risk of poverty, though? The 10% of 18-24-year-olds who are at risk of problem gambling. Worse than that, 44% of these problem gamblers face a \u201chigh risk of suicidal behaviour\u201d. This is why we suffer hundreds of gambling-related suicides every year.<\/p>\n Imagine trying to make people feel sorry for these blood-sucking parasites.<\/p>\n As MacGregor went on, the Sunday Morning Live host interrupted to say:<\/p>\n We\u2019re talking about the gaming industry. We\u2019re not going to destroy each other\u2019s reputation<\/p>\n MacGregor responded:<\/p>\n No, but it\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s a valid \u2013 it\u2019s a valid \u2013 it\u2019s not a personal attack, Matt<\/p>\n Zarb-Cousin brushed this aside, saying:<\/p>\n It\u2019s always a personal attack. Just deal with the merits of the argument.<\/p>\n Unlike MacGregor, he did have some actual arguments, including:<\/p>\n Our @mattzarb<\/a> on @bbcsml<\/a> on why the gambling industry\u2019s argument that tax rises would push consumers to the black market makes no sense. pic.twitter.com\/hHBMSLSDHe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clean Up Gambling (@cleanupgambling) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The @BetGameCouncil<\/a> won\u2019t turn up for debates as they can\u2019t defend the indefensible \u2013 a commercial model that\u2019s dependent on profits from addictive online casino and slots. pic.twitter.com\/f59hVANRc2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clean Up Gambling (@cleanupgambling) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Predictable<\/p>\n Every year, the rich have more and more, and the rest of us have less and less.<\/p>\n Point at Jeremy Corbyn all you like, but he was warning this was happening 10 years ago, and things have only shaken out as he said since then.<\/p>\n If nothing else, it is reassuring to know that for all the billions sloshing about, this was the most convincing advocate the industry could put forwards:<\/p>\n Enjoyed a range of bemused faces @mattzarb<\/a> was making on #SundayMorningLive<\/a> just now, as some shill for the gambling industry tried to argue that we need gambling companies to make huge untaxed profits so they can spend more on researching gambling addiction.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ally Fogg (@AllyFogg) November 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Featured image via the Canary<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t