Bookmakers William Hill has confirmed it is closing its Brighton branch in London Road after the government raised the rate of machine games duty in the April budget.
The bookmaker, one of four in a 200-yard stretch of London Road, will close in the early autumn, and the company hopes to find jobs for its staff elsewhere.
The branch came under fire from one of its former punters who claimed he had been banned for winning too much.
But the company says the closure is unrelated to that, and is a result of a rise in duty on gaming machines with a stake higher than £5 to 25 per cent.
A company spokesman said: “In April we announced that 109 William Hill shops will close as a direct result of the government’s decision to raise the rate of machine games duty.
“We can confirm that 82 of those 109 shops will now close in the early autumn. The teams are undergoing a consultation process, and we will attempt to redeploy as many of those individuals as possible.
“The remaining 27 shops under review will be closed before the end of the year.”
None of the other affected shops are in Brighton and Hove.
Labour councillor Emma Daniel, who has campaigned for tighter controls on gaming machines, said: “It shows how dependent the business model was on encouraging unsafe reckless gaming, which proves the case for change in my eyes and reduces exploitation.”
the gentrification continues!
the gentrification continues!