Tag Archives: Betfred

Bookmakers and hospitality businesses are examining whether they are in-line to receive multi-million VAT refunds from the government, in relation to HMRC overruled calculations on FOBTs charges.  This weekend, The Times reported that up to 1,000 UK businesses that operated fruit machines, one-armed bandits and coin-pushers are reviewing whether to claim compensation from HMRC.  The dispute relates to HMRC collecting …

Betfred Limited has filed its 2020 corporate accounts (period reported up to 27 September), disclosing the impact of last year’s COVID-19 pandemic on its business units.  The Done family-owned betting group saw its group wagers shrink from £10-to-£6.5 billion,  a result of the enforced closure of its UK betting estates and further COVID-19 adjustments.   Trading with an impaired retail unit, …

BoyleSports is monitoring William Hill developments closely, as the Dundalk betting group eyes executing its long-mooted UK expansion by acquiring ‘some-or-all’ of William Hill’s retail portfolio. Led by new chief executive, Mark Kemp, BoyleSports joins a raft of competitors eyeing William Hill offcuts – as UK and European assets will not be maintained by new owner Caesars Entertainment who completed …

William Hill has lauded its newly signed title sponsorship of the three-day Northumberland Plate festival, confirmed in cooperation with the Arena Racing Company (ARC). The agreement will see William Hill benefit from prominent branding displayed around the racecourse, alongside race titles for the Saturday card and other feature races such as the Seaton Delaval Handicap, Hoppings Stakes and Gosforth Park …

Betfred has secured a foothold in the South African betting market, purchasing Betting World (bettingworld.co.za) from Phumelela, conducted via the newly established Betfred South Africa brand.  Carried out at a purchasing price of R120 million (£6.1 million), subject to final adjustment relating to the net capital of working items, the transaction was considered officially concluded as of 31 May. The …

The leadership of Entain Plc is closely monitoring the planned sell-off of William Hill’s UK and European assets by new owner Caesars Entertainment.  Group CEO, Jette-Nygaard Andersen, disclosed to Bloomberg that the FTSE100 firm was looking at the possibility of acquiring William Hill’s UK/European divisions, which are set to be divested by Caesars Entertainment as new owner of the heritage …

Caesars Entertainment has announced that it will begin the bidding contest for the European and UK home assets of WIlliam Hill, formally completing its takeover of the heritage bookmaker last month.  Reported in The Telegraph, the sale will include all of William Hill’s high street shops – which number around 1,400 in the UK and Ireland – as well as …

Since my last “Licensing Expert” article for SBC News, the stand-out issues in UK gambling regulatory terms have been (a) the circumstances giving rise to the UK Government’s 20 April announcement of an independent review into the collapse of Football Index and (b) the sudden unexpected departure of Neil McArthur from his position as Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission …

Global customer onboarding platform HooYu has published a report examining the problems faced by both UK-based and international gaming operators regarding user abandonment. In addition to investigating onboarding, HooYu also looked into contrasts in funnel performances between small, medium and large operators, and how long it takes different operators to perform KYC initiatives. The report found that customer onboarding and …

Betfred has confirmed the appointment of Joanne Whittaker as new Group Chief Executive, taking over the leadership duties of Betfred founder Fred Done.    The Racing Post has reported that Done sent a personal statement to Betfred employees confirming Whittaker’s appointment, with the executive set to join the company next month. The former Head of the operator’s IT division, Whittaker left …