UK gambling operators’ worst nightmare has come true.

On Thursday, the British government announced the approval of the reduction of fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) stakes limit from £100 ($135.08) to £2 ($2.69) to cap its long-running gambling review that started in October 2016.

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock approved the decision of the Ministry for Sport and Civil Society to “stick up for the vulnerable” when it decided in favor of the FOBT stake reduction.

Stocks of British bookmaker William Hill, which analysts saw as the operator most exposed to the measure, plunged more than 6.5 percent in early trading, while shares of GVC holdings, which recently acquired Ladbrokes Coral Group, dropped more than 4 percent following the announcement.