UK bookmaking giant Ladbrokes said it expects to close 40-50 betting outlets in what it terms “secondary locations” around the country.
The move is likely to be replicated by other high street bookmakers, the company said, as the industry looks to reduce the number of retail outlets it has opened in the past few years.
“Having expanded in the last two years and opened shops in higher-footfall locations we are now looking to optimize the estate,” Ladbrokes told iGaming Business.
The industry has been under attack recently over the impact of fixed odds betting terminals, the primary revenue generator in most outlets, but Ladbrokes said the closures were not related to the controversy.
Local governments are calling on Parliament to grant them stronger zoning powers to curtail the spread of the betting shops, which opponents view as detrimental to commercial districts and their FOBTs as a leading source of problem gambling.
