AROUND 4,500 jobs are under threat at William Hill bookmakers, which has branches in Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Rubery, Longbridge, Northfield and Kings Norton.
The company has launched a consultation with workers at its shops amidst plans to close 700 of its betting shops across the UK.
The firm put the move down to the Government’s decision to reduce the maximum stage on fixed odds gaming machines to £2 which came into force on April 1.
A William Hill spokesperson said: “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.”
It added the group would look to apply voluntary redundancy and redeployment measures extensively and would be providing support to all its workers throughout the process.
The shop closures are expected to begin before the end of the year.
