“I am also appalled, although sadly not surprised, that staff are being asked to take advantage of vulnerable people and urge them to sign up for online accounts. “We are dealing with the scourge of FOBTs but at the same time bookmakers are seemingly seeking to drive problems online. In the memo to staff, Ladbrokes said it would not take any decision on which shops to close until it had finished a 45-day period of “collective consultation”. A Ladbrokes spokesperson said shop closures were “an inevitable outcome of the changes to FOBT regulation”. “Ladbrokes must immediately engage with Community, the union for betting shop workers, to see if an alternative plan can be found to avoid job losses.

Source: The Guardian February 05, 2019 18:26 UTC