Ladbrokes may shut shops in North as part of closure plan

Ladbrokes shops in the Republic will avoid being hit by a plan to close hundreds of the British bookmaker's shops over the next two years, but some of its shops in the North may be shut.

Gaming group GVC - which owns the Ladbrokes-Coral business - plans to close up to 900 shops across both brands in the UK by the end of 2021. The move is as a direct result of lost revenues from Britain's decision, earlier this year, to slash the maximum stake for in-store betting machines from £100 to £2. It has been estimated that the move will result in the closure of around a quarter of all UK betting shops - across all brands - and the loss of 12,000 jobs.