William Hill to Close Down 700 Shops in UK, Union Asks Government to Help Workers

Most successful British bookmaker, William Hill, entered into a consultation process on July 4th as part of plans to close around 700 betting shops across the entire UK.

The news of this mass closure comes as the company approaches its business rearrangement after the decision to cut the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals, which is said to be “a result government’s ruling” on these. The clients can only stake up to £2 – substantially less than £100, the maximum bet that was valid until April 1st.

4,500 to Become Jobless

In the light of thousands of people losing their jobs, resulting from closing down 700 shops…

…the trade union representing betting shop workers, Community, has requested the UK government’s intervention to and protect the staff facing this severe crisis.

Approximately 4,500 people will be proclaimed jobless. Tom Blenkinsop, the trade union’s operations director has sent an urgent message to government officials, asking for help and guidance to all William Hill staff that are impacted by these closures.

It’s the change in law, initiated by the government, that is the key reason people would lose their jobs in the first place, he argues.

Government Must Realize its Responsibility

“Betting shops provide an important source of local employment and many of our have served the company loyally for years,” said Blenkinsop. “Workers don’t deserve to be the victims of the changes happening in the industry as a result of either government policy or the significant shift towards online gambling.”

He went on to add that…

…the government must always be aware of their role and must find ways to these workers whose jobs are threatened “as consequence of changes to the law around FOBTs.”

The community also called on Hill to work with them so that the union can help workers using their own resources.

“William Hill should immediately engage with Community, so that their staff get additional and advice during the consultation and all measures can be taken to minimise redundancies and find alternatives. We will be advising our through the consultation process,” added Blenkinsop.

Revenue Already Dropping

The betting operator has already reported a 7% annual drop in retail revenue for the first seventeen weeks of the year…

…meaning that these radical changes are already taking its toll on the brand’s business. Hill’s spokesperson said that, as soon as the government announced the lowering of stakes, 900 unprofitable shops were in danger of becoming closed during the year.

“The group will look to apply voluntary redundancy and redeployment measures extensively and will be providing to all colleagues throughout the process,” official statement reads.

Meanwhile, in Sweden and New Mexico…

The UK giant hopes for more fortuitous developments in Sweden, where they’ve entered the regulated online gambling market, having been certified and licensed by regulator Spelinspektionen.

Similarly, the new US business venture for the company is that in New Mexico, where their sportsbook will be on offer for the first time after link-up with the Mescalero Apache Tribe who will be their official partner in this state.

Source:

“Union urges government to William Hill workers”, igamingbusiness.com, July 5, 2019.