William Hill Australia

History

William Hill plc traces its origins to a London bookmaking business founded in 1934, but the Australian arm is a product of the early 2010s. William Hill entered Australia by acquiring Sportingbet's Australian operation and then bought Tom Waterhouse's Sydney-based online bookmaking business in 2013. Tom Waterhouse, whose family is deeply associated with Australian horse racing, became CEO of William Hill Australia after the deal and helped integrate the acquired customers and technology under the William Hill brand. He later left to establish Waterhouse VC, a sports-technology venture capital firm.

Ownership

William Hill plc was acquired by Caesars Entertainment in 2021. Caesars kept William Hill's US business but sold its international operations, including the Australian arm, to 888 Holdings in 2022. The parent group subsequently rebranded as Evoke plc, making William Hill Australia one of the international wagering brands in Evoke's portfolio. This ownership change means William Hill Australia is no longer part of the old London-listed William Hill group but continues to trade under the same brand.

Products and Business Model

William Hill Australia is an online-only bookmaker with no retail betting shops in Australia. It makes money from fixed-odds wagering on sports and racing, taking margins on single bets, multi-bet combinations and same-race multi products. The main channels are the desktop website and iOS/Android mobile apps, which provide odds, account management, live betting and promotions. Its product set is broadly similar to competitors such as Sportsbet, bet365 and Ladbrokes/Neds, with a particular focus on Australian sports including AFL, NRL and cricket, plus domestic and international horse racing.

Regulation and Licensing

William Hill Australia holds a Northern Territory bookmaker licence, which is the standard licensing route for many Australian online wagering operators. It operates under Australia's Interactive Gambling Act and is subject to AUSTRAC's anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing obligations. The regulatory environment also shapes the product range, with Australian online wagering law prohibiting certain forms of in-play betting that are allowed in some other jurisdictions.

Market Position

In the Australian wagering market, William Hill Australia is generally described as a mid-sized challenger rather than a market leader. It competes against significantly larger operators, including Sportsbet, bet365, Entain's Australian brands (Ladbrokes and Neds) and the state and territory TAB businesses. Its strengths are the recognisable William Hill name, the racing credibility inherited from the Waterhouse association, and a fairly broad sports and racing product offering, but it lacks the scale and marketing spend of the biggest competitors.

Strategic Context

As part of Evoke, William Hill Australia sits alongside an international portfolio of betting and gaming brands. The Australian business is a smaller component of that group, which is focused on building a multi-brand betting and gaming platform across regulated markets. Public details of William Hill Australia's local leadership and recent strategic moves remain limited.