Flutter to Close Sky Bet’s Malta Office, Report Says

Flutter Entertainment plans to close Sky Bet’s Malta operation and transfer remaining roles to Gibraltar, according to a report published by NEXT.io on October 21.

Around 50 employees in Malta are expected to face redundancy. The reported closure would reverse Sky Bet’s November 2025 relocation of its commercial headquarters from the UK, less than a year after the move.

Flutter declined to comment on the Malta plans beyond its statement announcing a wider restructuring of its UK and Ireland business.

Sky Bet Operations Set to Join Sky Gaming

According to NEXT.io, Sky Bet’s remaining Malta-based staff will move with the business to Gibraltar, where sister operation Sky Gaming has been headquartered since 2024.

The publication also reported that the Maltese branch of SBG Sports Limited would be wound down as part of the restructuring.

Sky Bet’s published licensing information identifies SBG Sports Limited as the operator of its sports betting and virtual racing products. Its bingo, casino and poker products are operated separately by Gibraltar-incorporated Bonne Terre Gaming Limited. 

The consolidation follows Neil Banbury’s appointment as managing director of Sky Betting & Gaming earlier in October. Flutter will retain a substantial presence in Malta, with approximately 500 employees across other operations, including Betfair International, NEXT.io reported. 

Wider Restructuring Puts Up to 1,400 Jobs at Risk

Flutter confirmed on October 20 that its UK and Ireland restructuring could result in up to 1,400 redundancies, subject to consultation. Against the division’s approximately 9,000 employees, that represents roughly 16% of its workforce.

The company named Leeds and Dublin among the affected locations, alongside staff supporting the division at its hubs in Porto, Portugal, and Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Flutter attributed the restructuring to increases in UK gambling taxation announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget. It said the associated implementation costs would total $80 million to $90 million and be incurred in the fourth quarter of 2026. Those costs were already included in its updated financial guidance.

UK and Ireland chief executive Kevin Harrington said the business could not fully absorb the tax increases without reducing its fixed costs. The company’s announcement did not provide a location-by-location breakdown of the planned redundancies.