William Hill PLC

Description of business:
Founded in 1934, William Hill is one of the best-known names in the UK betting industry. It is one of the leading providers of fixed-odds bookmaking services, offering odds and taking bets on a wide range of sporting and other events. William Hill delivers its betting products to customers through three principal channels: Betting shops ? William Hill has a nationwide network of over 1,540 shops, making it the second largest operator in the UK. The estate is of high quality, reflecting sustained investment. The scale of this network gives William Hill a competitive advantage in terms of brand recognition. In the shops, customers have access to real time sports information, coverage and results through satellite links. Sports betting is supplemented by a range of numbers betting opportunities and slot machines.Telephone betting ? William Hill believes it is the market leader in telephone betting, with a current market share of approximately 40%. William Hill has led innovations in telephone betting, having introduced freephone and debit card betting. Telephone betting operates from call centres in Leeds and Sheffield. William Hill has approximately 400,000 registered accounts including over 150,000 ?active ? customers (those who placed a bet in 2001).Online betting ? William Hill believes it had the most profitable online betting operation of the major UK bookmakers in 2001. William hill accepted its first bet on the Internet in 1998 and since then its Sportsbook website (www.williamhill.co.uk) and online casino have experienced significant growth in the UK and internationally. The online Sportsbook now has over 280,000 registered accounts, including almost 100,000 ?active? customers and the Casino has over 110,000 registered accounts, including over 35,000 ?active? accounts. Since launch, they have attracted customers from over 150 countries.