"Betting machines on the high street have caused untold misery and now punters will make their move into the growing area of online betting. For the industry to remain sustainable the online firms need to implement their own spend checking and affordability limits online quickly to prevent a similar crackdown.

"These jobs were inevitably going to go and at least represent a decline in the misery of betting on the high street. Perhaps William Hill can deploy its staff into treating addicts and supporting those who are vulnerable across their other betting outlets".