William Hill Betting shops to shut 700 shops placing 4,500 jobs at risk
 

This has been expected


[Gambling firm William Hill has confirmed plans to shut
700 betting shops, placing 4,500 jobs at risk.
The bookmaker had threatened such a move before a crackdown
on controversial fixed-odds betting terminal (FOBT)
stakes was implemented on 1 April.
William Hill said in a statement: "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." ]


["Subject to the outcome of the consultation process, shop closures
are likely to begin before the end of the year."
Which stores are to go will not be confirmed
until the end of the consultation period.]


https://news.sky.com/story/william-h...-risk-11756484

Is this only just news? :think: it will be over 2000 shops (approx 10,000 jobs) across Hills / LadbrokesCoral / Betfred / Paddies over the next two years. It was inevitable with the changes to machines. My shop (and job) were safe but I've left anyway because A) The industry is scum and no one should work for them, B) I found a much better job and C) The way that staff - some of whom have worked for these companies for 20+ years - are being treated currently is abysmal. I've seen colleagues who have been friends for 15 years at each others throats over job competition worries. I've seen staff members hard-selling online accounts to clearly vulnerable individuals because they think bumping up their numbers will make them more likely to be "safe". All for jobs with crap pay, crappier working conditions, and support from upper management that is so tokenistic / lip-service that it's an actual joke.

Also;

The restrictions on machines don't go anywhere near far enough. They ARE highly addictive, people ARE still blowing small fortunes on them even with the limits (which don't affect slots, the most addictive product, that the industry is very aware is the most addictive product, and deliberately pushes on Over The Counter customers in hopes of getting them interested, for profit). Oh and the basic message when they stopped the high stakes casino games - a move designed to protect gambling addicts who were losing their money, relationships and sanity? "Get them online they can still do it there". Incentivised to spend that money gambling elsewhere. Either casino games online, or onto the dogs over the counter. Grim. Really ****ing grim. Getting out has been the best thing that's ever happened to me career wise, handing in my resignation was so satisfying, but I still don't even get to feel happy when I think about it, because thinking about the industry at all just boils my blood :shrug:.

You can't play the ten pound fortune spins on slots anymore..

Betting shops have been around long before fobt

The reason there closing in because people are moving online

William hill head office staff are safe for now

Since they went to £2 max stake? Ooh, who'd have thought?

The reason they're closing (now) is FOBT £2 max stakes - it's killed any physical shop that can't support itself over the counter. I sat through the actual meetings about it :joker:.

Online will be the next major crackdown and then hopefully the entire industry will crumble :hee:.

So Your saying online betting has no impact in the betting shops

Sure in abut 800 years

You're saying online betting will only just now be impacting their business?

It's 2019 lad, not 1999.

Shops are closing all the time because more are going online :smug:

Of course they are, but you're suggesting bookmakers on the high street are facing closure due to online as though online betting is a new thing. It isn't.

But if there were no online betting then people would bet in shop :shrug:

Well done, TS. You deserve better

It's a new thing for tens of thousands of people arriving at the legal age of betting.

Nah i disagree with this statement. Basically before betting shops had those evil, conning FOBT's they would open at like 12pm (not 8am like they do now) and shut at the latest 7pm after the day's racing (not 10pm like they do now). Also, these firms make/made so much money from FOBT's that they would be opening new shops daily, literally half the shops that exist now were most likely opened in the last 15/20 years as FOBT's became more and more profitable. People losing their jobs is a shame, but do we really need 5 betting shops in one street?!

Online will have had an impact for sure, but they wouldn't be closing anywhere near as many shops if the limits were to stay the same.

But those people only just arriving at that age weren't going into shops to begin with.

With a bit of luck..

Online gambling is a horrific vice of mine that I seem to be unable to get rid of. Have signed up to that gamstop thing thats meant to self exclude you from everywhere, yet most casinos still allow me to deposit (when I have my weak moments, usually prompted by medication tbh) over and over, and only ever bring up the exlucision when I win and try to withdraw. So basically, gamstop does nothing to help except for putting the casinos in a win/win situation. Where they can accept endless deposits, but then say 'you are excluded' when a win happens. Its vile. Just more loopholes for them.

I do accept that its partly my fault of course. But really really hate how its made out to be help for problem gamblers when if anything, its just made things worse and given casinos even more scope to exploit people. Ontop of this, its part of gamstops T&Cs that 'you will not attempt to log into existing accounts, nor make new accounts'...like..if it was that easy for problem gamblers, they would not need something like gamstop to start with?! Stupid stupid term which makes me rage a lot when its quoted by casinos while they are denying me winnings whilst also keeping deposits.

Obviously.

I'm saying online betting has been battling with the shops for 15-20 years. Again, not new.

That's disgusting. Surely that's illegal.

Then again "surely that's illegal" seems to be the response to anything related to this industry, including their employment terms. Seems they get away with murder through loopholes.

You would think, yet the casinos all quote the stupid gamstop term of 'will not attempt to log into accounts' and say that since I broke the gamstop t&cs, its my own problem and basically, **** off.

As I said, gamstop is made out to be helpful for problem gamblers, but realistically all it has done is give casinos more chance to **** over players and make profit from people who should not even be playing.

The people dying at the other end of the age gap need replacing though :shrug:

I might delete this as its quite..identifying. But here is an example of casinos wiggling their way out of refunds, when account has only been identified as a withdrawal was requested. For ****s sake, I only withdrew a hundred quid too, given they see how compulsive my gambling is, they would have made a lot more from me by just paying it and allowing me to continue..I very rarely actually request withdrawals and tend to play back anything won.

I believe, if they refuse withdrawals they should also refund deposits. OR they should allow withdrawals, one of the two, not keep deposits AND refuse withdrawals.

But this shows, how they use unfair terms to deny refunds, while also denying withdrawals. Which surely is unfair as it places the player in a no win situation. Now as I said, I do accept this is partly my fault, however it cannot be denied really that casinos are just using gamstop as a way to exploit players like me, who have addictions. It probably seems stupid to people that I do keep signing up and trying, but..I cannot really explain it. Its just something I do do, generally while heavily medicated and feeling a bit down, as gambling was always my go to way of feeling a bit better.

They also tend to claim they have no access to the gamstop database, while simultaneously exluding you as your details match gamstops database, something thats oddly enough only ever picked up on whe withdrawal is requested :rolleyes:

What's this got to do with what I said? :laugh:

I didn't say online doesn't affect the shops. I'm saying it is not a new thing. The change in stakes, however, is.

There you have it then...the people who can't play the higher stakes in shop have turned to online gaming as it still has the higher max stake.:smug: