Ladbrokes and Coral betting shop staff are competing with each other to sign the most online customers in order to avoid getting the sack, according to a new report.

On Tuesday, the Guardian reported having seen an internal memo recently issued to staff at betting shops operated by GVC Holdings’ Ladbroke and Coral brands. The memo warns that GVC plans to close up to 1,000 of its 3,500 UK shops over the next 18-24 months, which will result in the loss of around 5,000 jobs.

Ladbrokes said its ultimate aim was to keep as many shops as possible open and job loses to a minimum, but some staff will face redundancies while others will have their schedule rolled back to 36 hours per week. No redundancies will happen before May 1, following a 45-day “collective consultation” period.

The memo details that these redundancies will be chosen via a ranking system, in which staff will be grouped by area and then whittled down to the appropriate level of staffing for the shops that will remain open.