Payroll costs have climbed since employer National Insurance rose to 15 per cent in April 2025, and sector-specific duties keep rising. One response is gaining ground with little fanfare: stop owning the software that runs the business and rent it instead.
Gambling: the sharpest test of the model
No sector has had its margins reset as abruptly as online gambling. Since 1 April 2026, Remote Gaming Duty has risen from 21 per cent to 40 per cent. An operator generating £1m of gross gaming yield now pays £400,000 in duty rather than £210,000. A further rise follows in April 2027, when a new 25 per cent rate for remote betting takes effect.
For mid-sized operators, running their own technology stack is one of the few large costs they can actually cut. That explains the growing interest in platforms such as Agreegain’s white-label casino solution. It bundles games aggregated from third-party studios, payment integration and compliance reporting into a single contract. Pricing is typically a platform fee plus a revenue share. Engineering overhead therefore becomes a cost that moves with revenue rather than a fixed bill paid regardless of trading.
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