Around 4,500 jobs are at risk at bookmaker William Hill after it announced plans to axe 700 betting shops across the UK.
The group warned a "large number of redundancies" are expected and it has begun consultation meetings with the 4,500 affected staff .
Shop closures are due to start by the end of the year.
William Hill blamed the closures on the Government's decision to slash the maximum stake on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOTBs) to £2 in April, which has hammered bookmakers' sales.
On its store closure plans, the group said: "This follows the Government's decision to reduce the maximum stake on B2 gaming products to £2 on 1 April 2019.
"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."
A list of which shops are to close is expected later in the year following the consultation period, with the first closures happening before the end of the year.
