'They were the gods of the betting shop'

Betting shop staff say they are told to offer gamblers perks to keep them playing on controversial fixed-odds betting machines, a BBC investigation has found.

"John," who was a manager at Coral until recently, said staff were given instructions to do "absolutely anything" to make them feel comfortable.

"If the shop was too hot for them have to turn heating down or vice versa. They were the gods of the betting shop," he said.

Coral said it rejected the allegations made by the BBC.

In a statement it said: "Coral takes its commitments to responsible gambling extremely seriously and has strengthened protections for all its customers, providing help and support for the very small minority that may have issues with their gambling activity.

"Training, tools and processes are in place throughout the business to ensure that potential problem gamblers are identified and protected."

The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00-11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel.