Parent firm Flutter blamed the closures on ‘increasing cost pressures and challenging market conditions’

Almost 250 staff are at risk of redundancy as a result of the change.

The Paddy Power and Betfair owner saw shares slump by more than a tenth in early trading.

Paddy Power has called off betting on the next Late Late Show host with Patrick Kielty expected to replace Ryan Tubridy

Sean Keyes (34) stole the money from the machines but then immediately gambled it away with Paddy Power again, meaning the company was not at a loss of any money