Rents deal will help bookies stay open

In a bid to avoid closing down permanently any more bookmakers’ shops, gambling giant Entain – owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – has written to landlords seeking rent cuts.

Entain said that the request was being made to landlords with leases due to expire in the next two years. It asks if they would agree to a rent cut in return for a lease extension of up to five years.

Entain said in its letter to landlords that it wanted to reduce operational costs to ensure that its shops remained “competitive and viable.”

Its CEO, Jette Nygaard-Andersen, had pledged that the company would not close any more of its venues this year, despite the pandemic impact. The group, which also owns Bwin and Partypoker, has 3,000 betting shops and licences in more than 30 countries.