888 Holdings Completes Acquisition of William Hill's Non-US Business
888 Holdings plc completed the acquisition of Caesars Entertainment's William Hill non-US business in July 2022, creating a combined group with operations across the UK, Europe, and regulated international markets under brands including 888, William Hill, Mr Green, and SI Sportsbook.
Key Takeaways
- 888 Holdings completed the acquisition of William Hill's non-US operations from Caesars Entertainment in July 2022
- The total acquisition value was approximately £2.2 billion
- The combined group retained the William Hill brand in the UK and European markets
- 888 Holdings' own brands — 888casino, 888sport, 888poker — were retained alongside William Hill
- Caesars Entertainment retained the William Hill US operations (subsequently rebranded to Caesars Sportsbook)
- The acquisition created one of the UK's largest licensed online gambling operators by customer count
Why It Matters — Players
Why It Matters — Operators
888 Holdings plc completed the acquisition of the non-US operations of William Hill from Caesars Entertainment in July 2022, creating a combined group with one of the largest footprints in UK and European online and retail gambling. The transaction, which had been announced in September 2021 and received regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions, had a total value of approximately £2.2 billion.
The deal structure had a complex background. Caesars Entertainment had acquired William Hill plc in full in April 2021 for approximately £2.9 billion, with the primary strategic objective being William Hill's US sports betting operations (subsequently rebranded to Caesars Sportsbook). Caesars then sold the non-US international William Hill business to 888, retaining the US operation.
888 Holdings had previously been primarily an online-only gambling operator focused on casino, poker, and sports betting products. The William Hill acquisition brought a major UK retail bookmaking network (William Hill's high-street betting shops), the internationally recognised William Hill brand, and significant customer bases in regulated European markets including Italy and Spain. The acquisition also included William Hill's online casino and sportsbook operations under the William Hill.com brand.
Post-acquisition integration presented significant operational challenges for 888. The combined entity operated multiple technology platforms across various customer-facing brands. The William Hill retail estate — with hundreds of UK high-street betting shops — represented a different business model from 888's online-first heritage. Management communicated throughout 2022 and 2023 that the integration was proceeding against a backdrop of macroeconomic challenges and regulatory reform.
The combined 888/William Hill group subsequently rebranded its parent entity and underwent management changes as the integration progressed. The business continued to hold UK Gambling Commission licences for its UK-facing operations under all major brands.
- Source:
- Reuters
- Published:
- July 1, 2022
- Original Article:
- View Source
This article is an editorial summary of the source publication listed above. iGamingNavigator does not reproduce third-party content. All analysis is original.