William Hill branches across South Yorkshire under threat as bookmaker plans to close 700 shops
More than 40 branches of bookmaker William Hill in South Yorkshire could shut as the firm announced 700 shops are to close with the lost of 4,500 jobs.
The firm said the move followed the government's decision in April to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2.
Since then, the company added, it had seen "a significant fall" in gaming machine revenues.
William Hill, which has 2,300 shops and 12,500 employees, said the closures could begin before the end of the year.
The firm has nearly 20 branches in Sheffield, ten in Doncaster and more than a dozen more across Barnsley, Rotherham and the rest of South Yorkshire.
"The group will look to apply voluntary redundancy and redeployment measures extensively and will be providing support to all colleagues throughout the process," its statement said.
William Hill has said it will not reveal which stores will close until later this year.
However, staff at the shops were told about the decision earlier this week.