William Hill

Company: William Hill PLC

Brand value: US$1,663 million

Headquarter city: London

Industry: Gambling

Year formed: 1934

William Hill is the largest of the “big three” land-based UK bookmakers, running 2,375 licensed betting shops in the UK as well as online gambling services. It has a strong association with sports betting, has partnerships with three English Premier League football clubs - Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham – and has been title sponsor of the William Hill Scottish Cup since 2011. The brand sponsors the William Hill World Darts Championship and, in April 2017, sponsored the Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko boxing match at Wembley, attracting more bets than any other single event bar the Grand National steeplechase. The business reported a strong increase in online sports betting in the early part of 2017, but unfavourable football results led to a dip in profits for the first half of 2017, despite rising revenue. In 2016, William Hill announced a shift in marketing strategy to focus on one theme at a time across all channels. Since then, a TV campaign has focused on the idea of a fast world, positioning the brand’s app as faster and more customer friendly. William Hill is also investing in its social media presence to entice new customers, and its #YourOdds initiative has reportedly led to 2 million bets being placed since its launch at the beginning of 2017. William Hill has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority for several of its ads in the past, including one for “risk free” gambling, and another featuring children and teddy bears.

William Hill operates in nine countries, including the US, Spain, Italy, the Philippines and Australia, and 18 percent of 2016 Group net revenue came from outside the UK. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent stock of the FTSE 250 index.