Entain set to close 39 Ladbrokes shops in Ireland

Entain is set to close over a third of its Ladbrokes shops in Ireland amid reports it withdrew from discussions to sell its entire Ladbrokes retail estate in the market.

First reported by The Irish Times, Entain has confirmed plans to close 39 of its approximately 100 Ladbrokes shops in Ireland, representing over a third of its estate in the country. The closures could result in the loss of 226 jobs, subject to consultation.

The company has commenced formal consultations with impacted employees and aims to complete the closures by the end of May 2026.

A Ladbrokes spokesperson told iGB: “We continually review our retail estate to ensure our business remains competitive and financially sustainable.

“Our priority now is to engage constructively with colleagues throughout the consultation process, with a strong focus on redeployment wherever possible. Ladbrokes remains committed to Ireland and to operating responsibly within a sustainable retail footprint.”

Following the sale, Ladbrokes will continue to employ over 350 people in Ireland across 66 shops.

Rumoured collapse of Ladbrokes retail estate sale

Last year, Entain held talks with Bar One Racing regarding the potential sale of Ladbrokes’ Irish retail operations.

However, these negotiations concluded without reaching an agreement, as reported by The Racing Post on 31 March.

Commenting on Ladbrokes’ decision, the spokesperson said: “These planned closures in the Republic of Ireland are not a decision we take lightly and reflect sustained cost pressures, long‑term changes in customer behaviour and the growing competitive threat from the unlicensed market.”

Ladbrokes’ contraction of its retail footprint mirrors an ongoing trend across the UK;s betting and gaming sector.

Just this week, Evoke told staff it planned to shut around 200 of its UK retail shops, in May as part of its wider strategic review, and in response to the freshly implemented remote gaming duty increase.

Last October, meanwhile, Flutter Entertainment also laid out plans to close 57 Paddy Power shops with nearly 250 staff facing redundancy at the time.

The UK retail betting shop closures had been expected after the UK government announced plans to hike the remote gaming duty from 21% to 40%, starting on Wednesday this week.

With the UK retail betting sector having been largely stagnant in recent years, it has borne the brunt as operators seek to ride the wave of the remote tax hike.

Kyle Goldsmith

Kyle has been with Clarion since December 2023, joining from the world of sports journalism, subsequently becoming a LatAm-facing senior reporter with iGB.