- William Hill’s mobile app is now live in Michigan.
- The company opened a retail location at the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in September 2020.
- William Hill now operates in 14 states with mobile betting offered in 9 states.
I had a great investment strategy where I was going to make a mint buying William Hill stock while the financial media was preoccupied with gaming companies that had a lot of ‘sizzle’ but not much ‘steak’. Unfortunately, Caesars Entertainment was also paying attention and put the kibosh on that plan when they purchased the company in late September. I could never understand why financial types would get excited over gaming companies making media deals or partnerships with pro leagues. Those are important, of course, but while other companies were focusing on promotion and establishing brand awareness William Hill was taking bets. Lots of bets. According to the company they take one out of every four bets placed in the US. I’m not sure who did the math but I have no reason not to believe them.
William Hill began life in England back in 1934 and became a fixture in Europe on the way to getting listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2002. They made the move to the US in 2012 announcing their presence in a big way with the purchase of three Nevada bookmaking companies—Lucky’s (at the time they operated 16 sportsbooks including Terrible’s and the Plaza downtown), the Cal Neva’s Satellite Race & Sportsbook Division (operators of 31 sportsbooks) and American Wagering. American Wagering was the parent company of the Leroy’s sportsbook chain that operated 72 sportsbooks and kiosks at the time of their purchase.
No surprise that William Hill has quickly become one of the major players in the nascent US sports betting ecosystem with 160 locations in 14 states and mobile access in 9 states. The latest edition to their mobile ‘portfolio’ is Michigan which launched online wagering on Friday, January 22. Their partnership is with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and William Hill opened a retail presence at the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel along with kiosks at the Leelanau Sands Casino in Northern Michigan.
Michael Schrader, CEO for Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos, is effusive in his praise of William Hill:
“William Hill is America’s leading sports betting company, which speaks volumes for their professionalism, knowledge and experience. Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos is excited to add another form of entertainment to our brand, and we are confident the William Hill online experience will be the most trusted in the industry.”
Ken Fuchs, President of Digital for William Hill US, is equally excited to add mobile sports and casino wagering to his company’s retail offerings in Michigan:
“Michigan has a rich sports history and incredibly passionate fans. Together, William Hill and GTB are excited to deliver an engaging way to experience sports betting and gaming to customers all over the state. This comes at a fantastic time with the NFL playoffs, Pistons, Red Wings, a full slate of Michigan College basketball, and McGregor vs. Poirier on this weekend’s menu.”
Michigan’s sports betting ecosystem looks like it could be one of the best in the country. At launch, there were 10 mobile apps available with more on the way:
- Draft Kings
- William Hill
- Barstool Sports (Penn National)
- TwinSpires
- Golden Nugget Online Gaming
- BetRivers (Rush Street Interactive)
- BetMGM (Roar Digital)
- FanDuel
- WynnBET
- PointsBet
