Flutter is closing Sky Bet's Malta hub

Flutter Entertainment will close Sky Bet's Malta operation. According to Next.io, the decision comes less than a year after the commercial hub was moved from the United Kingdom to Malta. The move was completed in November 2025 and was expected to save the company tens of millions of pounds a year.

As part of the group consultation, about 50 Malta-based roles are expected to be cut. The remaining employees are expected to move to Gibraltar along with the work. Sister brand Sky Gaming had already set up its hub there in 2024. SBG Sports Limited, the Malta arm of the UK business, is reported to be heading for liquidation. Flutter will continue to employ about 500 people in Malta across its other operations, including Betfair International.

The consolidation will bring Sky Bet and Sky Gaming together in one country under the newly appointed Sky Betting & Gaming managing director Neil Banbury. Banbury joined Flutter on 1 October after more than 15 years at Kindred Group. The company did not comment beyond its official restructuring announcement. The closure timeline and handover details have not been finalised.

The decision is part of the UK and Ireland restructuring that Flutter announced on 20 October. In the division, which employs about 9,000 people, up to 1,400 job cuts are expected, depending on the consultation. Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% in April 2026. General Betting Duty on sports betting other than horse racing will rise from 15% to 25% in April 2027. Before mitigating measures, Flutter estimates that its 2027 adjusted EBITDA will fall by about 481 million euros (540 million dollars). Restructuring costs of between 71 and 80 million euros (80 to 90 million dollars) are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.