William Hill to close 700 stores

I think to blame legislation restricting maximum stakes on fixed odd betting terminals entirely for 700 store closures and 4,500 job losses is a little much. This looks like yet another casualty of online vs. high street: People bet online nowadays. Bookies all have ridiculously good mobile apps that look great and have a simple and slick UX. I feel like every second advert I see is for an online betting company/ service. It is clear that all the bookmakers are investing heavily on their mobile applications - as of course they should be. By contrast, the last time I went into a physical store (the Grand National, of course) it was shabby and the service was ropey. Two bookies on my street have closed in the past two years. There's clearly been little investment in physical stores - so this is what happens. The sad thing, of course, is most of the 4,500 people who may be looking for new jobs this year have nothing to do with those decisions, and yet they are the ones suffering because of them.

Big news coming out of William Hill today, with plans to close 700 shops. William Hill join Ladbrokes Coral with the vast amount of closures to their retail property, with Betfred expected to follow suit. ?? - https://lnkd.in/gDeuga2