William Hill races into the US with key buy

Britain’s biggest bookmaker William Hill yesterday announced another acquisition as part of its drive to become a key player in the US betting market.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th May 2011, 07:00 BST

It has paid 14.25 million US dollars (£8.5m) for Brandywine Bookmaking, which operates 16 sportsbooks in the state of Nevada under the Lucky’s brand and one in St Kitts in the Caribbean. Brandywine is also involved in a partnership which runs the Delaware State Sports Lottery and operates in three casinos in the state.

The acquisition comes a month after William Hill made its first move into the US market by snapping up American Wagering Inc (AWI) and Club Cal Nevi businesses, which also operate in Nevada and Delaware, for a total of 39 million US dollars (£23.7m).

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The deals give William Hill a major presence in the US, which currently only allows gambling in four states.

Nevada is the largest of the markets, with an estimated gambling turnover of 2.7 billion US dollars (£1.6bn).

Ralph Topping, chief executive of William Hill, said: “Brandywine is a good strategic fit for AWI’s and Cal Neva’s sportsbook operations and will give William Hill a leading position in the US land-based sports betting market.”

He added that Brandywine’s relationship with the Delaware State Government could be emulated by other states as they regulate land-based sports betting.

The acquisitions will not complete until William Hill is granted a non-restricted gaming licence from the Nevada Gaming Commission, which it hopes to obtain next year.

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