William Hill (bookmaker)
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William Hill plc (LSE: WMH) is one of the largest bookmakers in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are in the north London suburb of Wood Green and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The company was founded in 1934. It operates in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and offers betting by phone and over the internet as well as through its bookmaking shops. The internet section has grown fastest in recent years, although its telebetting call centres took 125,000 bets on the 2007 Grand National and its betting shops process more than 889,000 betting slips on an average day[1].
In the financial year ending 26 December 2006 it made a pre-tax profit of £292.2 million on a turnover of £894.2 million, producing a total profit of around 19 per cent at £166.8 million.[2] It expects its profits to be lower in 2007 because of the abandonment of a major upgrade to its internet betting platform.[3]
The company announced in February 2008 that it was promoting Ralph Topping to be its new CEO. Mr Topping took a Saturday job at a William Hill betting shop near Hampden Park, Glasgow, in 1973 and worked his way up through the ranks.[4]
In 2005 William Hill bought 624 betting offices in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Jersey from Stanley Leisure for £504 million. The acquisition took the company past Ladbrokes into first position in the UK betting market.
As well as its online sportsbook operations, the company also offers online casino games, skill games, online bingo and online poker, and recently launched a website covering betting news and expert opinion on the 2008 US presidential election.
The poker room sponsors the William Hill Poker Grand Prix, and the company promotes sporting literature through its annual William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
[edit] Notes
- ^ William Hill PLC website - see "About Us"
- ^ William Hill PLC website - see "Financial Information"
- ^ The Guardian, London, 10 January 2008
- ^ The Times, London, 22 February 2008
