William Woodhams, CEO of Fitzdares, has announced that he will resign as leader of the heritage bookmaker on Friday, 31 January.
The resignation was announced via Woodhams’ account on X (Twitter), in which he stated that, following the Christmas period, he had chosen to end his seven-year tenure leading the transformation of Fitzdares.
Woodhams was appointed CEO of Fitzdares in 2018, taking leadership of the private (invite-only) betting firm, a business whose origins in British gambling can be traced back to 1882.
Under Woodhams’ leadership, Fitzdares underwent a rebrand and an overhaul of its betting platform for elite clients, while also broadening its wagering services for modern audiences.
The transformation saw Fitzdares launch its first mobile app in 2019, featuring elite services for its membership of over 2,000 high-value punters.
In 2020, the heritage betting firm opened a private sports and betting venue on Davies Street, Mayfair, celebrating 140 years of offering private and discreet betting services.
Further achievements included Fitzdares entering new markets, with the launch of its app and platform in Ontario, Canada.
Of particular note, in 2023, Fitzdares funded the launch of ‘The Racing App,’ a free-to-use resource for horseracing audiences in the UK and Ireland.
Woodhams deemed The Racing App essential to liberalise/democratise a stagnant UK racing scene by breaking down the paywall of information on horseracing events and data, making it accessible to the general public.
This morning’s announcement came with Woodhams reflecting: “This sadly ends 200 uninterrupted years of my family’s involvement in racing.”
As CEO of Fitzdares, Woodhams was recognised as one of the most approachable industry leaders, in which he shared his views and opinions on all matters impacting UK gambling and horseracing, no matter how controversial… As such, Woodhams signed off his departure stating: