The company’s operations are organized into two main divisions: UK and International.
History
However, in September 1996, Brent Walker recouped a portion of its initial payment due to inflated profits reported by Grand Metropolitan at the time of the sale.
In 1997, William Hill underwent a £700 million leveraged buyout by Japanese investment bank Nomura. In 2002, William Hill was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In November 2008, the company partnered with Orbis and Playtech to improve its online operation. Despite facing financial concerns with significant debt, William Hill enacted a rights issue and corporate bond issue in 2009 to restructure its finances. In September 2020, Caesars Entertainment acquired William Hill for £2.9 billion.
UK Operations
William Hill employs around 12,000 people, with 8,000 of them based in the UK, and operates 1,414 betting shops. In addition to its online sportsbook, the company offers online casino games, bingo, and poker. Gaming machines have been a key source of profit since the Gambling Act 2005. In 2009, the company moved its online betting operations to Gibraltar to reduce taxes. In 2010, a training program was launched to combat underage gambling. William Hill became a founding member of the Betting and Gaming Council in 2019.
Outside the United Kingdom
In 2013, the company acquired three Australian brands: Sportingbet, Centrebet, and tomwaterhouse.com, later rebranded as William Hill Australia. The Australian business was sold to CrownBet Holdings for AU $300 million in 2018. After the US Supreme Court’s landmark sports betting ruling in June 2018, William Hill entered arrangements to provide bookmaking services in New Jersey. They opened the first full-service betting operation in the US at Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. on 3 August 2020.
Sponsorship
In addition to horse racing, William Hill has been a sponsor for several other sporting events. They sponsored the Scottish Cup from 2011 to 2020 and the PDC World Darts Championship from 2015 to 2022. Moreover, the company supports the annual William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, which celebrates exceptional sports writing.
The William Hill Portfolio
The William Hill portfolio boasts a diverse and extensive range of sports and betting options. With approximately 30 sports markets to explore, it also includes virtual sports, financial, and politics markets.
Sports Markets and Betting Types
Football enthusiasts will find an extensive selection with over 120 leagues from around the world, including regional divisions and youth leagues. The bookie excels in horse racing markets, providing comprehensive coverage that rivals other operators. While some sports like tennis may have fewer betting options, William Hill compensates by offering unique variations, such as combining match result betting with the number of points scored. Other categories like goals, specials, corners, scorers, goal time, cards, and 5-minute markets add to the extensive betting choices.
In-play Betting & Live Streaming
While William Hill offers good in-play betting options, they may be somewhat restricted compared to some other operators, especially for more obscure fixtures. The bookie provides a mix of traditional and newer online in-play bets, but there are fewer in-play only bets available. For bigger fixtures, the options improve, but for many events, quick-fire in-play betting is limited to next goal scorer or match market betting within a specific time frame.
The in-play betting and live streaming options at William Hill are commendable. The major betting markets receive excellent in-play coverage, making it a significant feature of the platform. Live-streaming is available for a good number of events, accessible to users with a positive account balance. The in-play arena is particularly strong and deserves attention in a separate review on live betting.
Multiple Betting Options
With a focus on horse racing, their system betting options for horses and greyhounds are extensive and support their claim as specialists in this field. All types of forecasts and tri-casts are available, including straight forecast doubles, reversed forecasts, trebles, and combination tri-casts.
What sets William Hill apart is their allowance for combining more than 8 selections in system bets. Once 10 or more selections are chosen, customers can continue adding selections and place accumulators or system doubles, making it a fantastic option for serious system bettors. The multiple betting process is smooth and transparent, and the potential returns from all bet types are clearly displayed.
Bet & Win Limits
The maximum winnings vary based on the sport, with football, horse racing, and tennis offering the highest caps at £2,000,000, £1,000,000, and £250,000 within a 24-hour period, respectively. These limits are among the highest among all the bookies we reviewed. On the other end, William Hill impresses with incredibly low minimum stakes, with just 3p for single bets and 1p for multiples. These are the lowest minimums for both singles and multiples among all the operators.
FAQs
What are Competitive Odds Levels?
The difference between the highest and lowest odds within each market is relatively small, as William Hill keeps things tight. While they may not offer the absolute best odds, bettors can rest assured they won’t receive the worst odds either. Overall, William Hill maintains a balanced position in terms of odds levels.
What does the online platform offer?
Quick links on the front page lead to in-play betting, the upcoming schedule, live-streaming, and all available sports markets. Account information is conveniently displayed at the top, and the bet slip is ever-present on the right side of the screen. In-play fixtures are showcased on the front page, allowing for quick in-play bets if desired.
How do you place a bet?
First, locate your selection and click on the odds of the desired bet type to add it to the bet slip. Next, enter your desired stake in the bet slip, and the potential winnings will be displayed below. Finally, confirm your selection by clicking “place bet.”
