Betting giant William Hill has announced 700 of its licensed betting shops could be closed, putting 4,500 staff at risk.
The huge firm, which has several stores in Liverpool, announced on Thursday it has entered into a consultation process with colleagues over the plans.
The firm has said it follows the Government’s decision to reduce the maximum stake on B2 gaming products (fixed odds betting machines) to £2 in April this year, Business Live reports.
A spokesman said since then, the company has seen a significant fall in gaming machine revenues, in line with the guidance given when the Government’s decision was announced in May 2018.
He said: "A large number of redundancies is anticipated with 4,500 colleagues at risk. The group will look to apply voluntary redundancy and redeployment measures extensively and will be providing support to all colleagues throughout the process.
"Subject to the outcome of the consultation process, shop closures are likely to begin before the end of the year."
It's not yet known which stores could be affected by the closures.
Read the unfolding story in full on Business Live here.
