Bookies plea for rent cut

BOOKMAKER William Hill has written to most of its landlords asking them to slash its rent bill after the Government introduced a £2 cap on its lucrative gaming machines.

The company wrote to more than 2,000 landlords asking for rent cuts of as much as 50pc after ministers said in November they would slash the maximum stakes on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2 from next month.

Campaigners had been fighting for years to cut the stake threshold.

William Hill, which has about 2,400 bookies, said the move may mean it has to close around 900 shops.