Ladbrokes is approaching its recruitment target of 1,000 new staff to meet
expansion plans.
The bookmaker has filled two-thirds of its posts in the past six months,
ahead of changes to the gaming laws in October.
The company advertised through traditional channels, such as local papers
and on its website. It also targeted students by advertising on university web
sites and through developing links with the National Association of Student
Recruiters.
Ros Barker, worldwide HR director at Ladbrokes, said, "There is no
magic formula. It has been a lot of hard work at grass-root-levels and we have
been able to mobilise our line managers and HR team to do that."
Ladbrokes’ expansion plans are based on the expectation of increased
turnover following the new gaming laws. The Government will remove the betting
tax on customers’ wagers and replace it with a tax on bookmakers’ gross
profits.
Barker said, "Taking the betting tax off customers will give them more
money to bet with. This will mean that we need more staff in shops to service
bets. There have been suggestions that tax-free betting will result in a 40 per
cent increase in turnover."
The bulk of the new jobs have been created in existing betting shops across
the UK and call centres in London and Liverpool. Ladbrokes employed about
11,000 staff before the recruitment drive started.
Recruits who join Ladbrokes as cashiers will go through a six-week training
programme covering topics such as introducing odds, bet payment, social
responsibility and shop technology.
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By Karen Higginbottom
