888 hails ‘rapid progress’ after £1.95bn William Hill deal

The London-listed firm revealed total sales fell by 7 per cent to £449 million over the quarter to September 30, compared with the same period last year.

888 said lower revenues were primarily driven by “enhanced UK online player safety measures” and the closure of operations in the Netherlands.

The company added that retail revenues were stable for the period at £124 million, despite a £4 million impact from closures due to national mourning following the death of the Queen.

The firm’s William Hill UK online operations saw a 14 per cent decline in revenues for the quarter.

888 snapped up the non-US operations of William Hill after the bookmaker was bought for around £2.7 billion by Las Vegas casino owner Caesars.

Caesars was keen to acquire William Hill’s US sports betting expertise as loosening rules across many states has led to rapid growth across the country, but the firm was open about its lack of interest in William Hill’s other business, leading to the deal with 888.

Itai Pazner, chief executive of 888, said: “Having completed our transformational combination with William Hill, I am pleased to report that during Q3 our teams continued to make rapid progress in integrating these two market-leading and highly complementary businesses.”