British sportsbook William Hill is considering launching online casinos in every state it legally can do so in the US in the second half of 2020.
William Hill Plans to Release Online Casino in US in H2 2020
Despite taking a hit to its results in Q1 2020, William Hill is determined to power up quickly in the second half of the year. These are the plans William Hill CEO Ulrik Bengtsson loosely put forward in the company’s Friday update covering the period of 17 weeks leading up to April 28, 2020, and factoring in the difficulties that the COVID-19 lockdown has brought around.
Moving forward, William Hill will focus on expanding is a footprint in New Jersey with an online casino, Mr. Bengtsson confirmed in the update, arguing that every state that currently supports legal online casinos will see a William Hill operator enter. By this token, Pennsylvania should be next on the list with Michigan a worthy addition. Mr. Bengtsson had this to say in the update:
“In the US, where we offer online sports betting in four states, we continued to take wagers on alternative activities. Product development has accelerated throughout the period and we will be launching online casino in the second half of the year.”
Mr. Bengtsson acknowledged that having online casinos to go hand-in-hand with sports betting would be of help to the company’s bottom line. He also commented on the “first demo of the product,” and expressed confidence that William Hill would adapt quickly.
He did caution, however, that regulatory approvals remain subject to circumstances beyond William Hill’s control, which has forced the company to tread cautiously and not overly on an imminent iGaming launch.
The Online Casino Sector Is Doing Well in the U.S.
While sports betting has taken a hit, iGaming has soared. Traffic in the United States has grown steadily. Some have suggested that the trend wouldn’t be much more than a fad until sports are back, but this has not stopped many companies from benefiting. Traffic for 888poker grew by 60% in the United States alone.
Registrations for online poker in Delaware notched up a near-300% increase in April, with the iGaming segment in places like New Jersey doubling to $75 million. Even flagship sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel have been very quick to reconsider any previous opposition to online casino products and bolstering their vertical. They saw results climb up steadily as well.
DraftKings’ iGaming revenue in New Jersey jumped by 125% through its partnership with Resorts Digital. William Hill in the meanwhile has been adapting to new challenges. Last week, the sportsbook offered drive-through deposit and registration locations. William Hill re-opened the drive-through locations on May 15 and today, May 16, offering temporary drive-through sign-ups and deposits again, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Mr. Bengtsson has remained confident that William Hill can make a very quick return after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. “Our strategy for the Company remains a simple one – to win with our customers, build agile collaborative teams, and get things done – execution,” he concluded.