William Hill is one of the oldest names in the sports betting industry. The company was founded in 1934, headquartered in the UK and is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The company employs more than 16,000 employees worldwide and reported that revenues were in excess of $2 billion for the year 2015. The company has had several ownership changes since its founding.

The company in 2008 realized that it is losing customers to competitors who had implemented better technology and as a result decided to partner with Israeli based Orbis to use their proprietary software. William Hill and also purchased additional assets and affiliates and completely revamped their backend technological and operational capabilities. The investment and upgrade in its technological capabilities has now turned the company’s offerings into one of the most advanced in the gambling industry.

William Hill is one of the few bookmakers that not only has a well equipped online offering but also has thousands of brick and mortar shops located all over the UK. This allows the company to target audiences across all spectrum. Prospective customers can now place bets online, through the phone or walk right into a shop.

The company is registered in Gibraltar and licensed by the gambling commissions of Gibraltar and the UK.

William Hill: eSports Coverage

The company offers betting on a variety of eSports. The company offers betting on Call of Duty, Counter Strike, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends and StarCraft 2. Even though the number of eSports games is extensive on the website, the types of bets that can be placed are very limited.

The company currently offers only one type of bet which is to bet on the winner, be it the winner of a single match, group winner or tournament winner. The company does not offer handicap betting and as a result, odds can vary considerably, especially in those scenarios where there is a clear favourite.

Navigation is easy though at first glance the amount of information might overwhelm a new customer. The eSports section can be accessed by clicking the ‘E-Sports’ link which is listed in the sports section on the top of the homepage. On the home page for eSports, all the eSport games on which betting is offered is listed along with the type of bet that is offered, either match winner or outright. Selecting the bet will display all the games related to that bet.

William Hill: eSports Betting Formats

There are three formats in which bets can be placed with William Hill. They are decimal, fractional and American formats. In the decimal format, odds are displayed using a decimal number for each team. The team considered to have a higher chance of winning is assigned a lower decimal number and the team considered to have a lower chance of winning is assigned a higher decimal number. The potential return is calculated by the money that is wagered and multiplied by the odds. Return is higher for teams having lower chance of winning and lower for teams having higher chance of winning.

The American betting style starts with either a positive or negative number. Generally favourites are assigned negative numbers and underdogs are assigned a positive number. If you bet on a negative number, with the same amount that is denoted by the number, then you will win $100 as profit along with the original amount you bet. If you bet on a positive number with a stake of $100 then this positive number will be the amount you will win as profit along with the original amount.

In the fractional style of betting, the denominator denotes the amount of money a player bets (or a multiple of the amount) and the numerator is the amount of money one can win (or a multiple of the amount). Players also stand to receive the amount of money that they wagered.

William Hill: Promotions

The company offers a 200% promotional incentive when a new customer signs up. This offer can be availed after you make you first bet. The bet must be placed at an odd of greater than 1.20. The bonus though is made available keeping in mind the small to medium stake players.

William Hill: Mobile Apps

The company provides mobile apps which place an emphasis on speed, performance and ease of access. Users can follow live action and quickly place bets through the app. The user’s available balance is seen on the top right corner at all times and the user can make quick deposits through the app itself. The company is keeping pace with new technology and has also come up with an app for the Apple Watch.

The company has its own live streaming platform called WHTV which allows customers to place bets while watching a live match in progress. Clients can also listen to live on-air commentary to select events through the radio and podcasts are also available for customers to listen to.

William Hill: Deposits & Withdrawals

Different payment options can be used to deposit and withdraw money from user accounts. Using e-payment facilities like Paypal, Neteller, Skrill and other net wallets is the quickest way to deposit or withdraw money. Traditional methods of bank transfers can also be used, though they take time to clear. Voucher services like Ukash and CashDirect are also a popular and quick way to facilitate a transaction, while the usual credit and debit card facilities are also provided.

William Hill: Customer Support

There are multiple ways to contact a customer care representative. Live Chat is the fastest way to get in touch with a representative and is available 24×7. Customers can also call the company, email a query or a problem and even tweet their issues. Since the company itself is large, providing customer support which satisfies everyone comes with its own sets of challenges. As such there are a small percentage of customers who have had issues with customer service, an area the company can work on to improve.

William Hill: Responsible Gaming Policy

The company strives to provide a fun and enjoyable gaming experience but also realizes that some people might have problems with gambling related addiction. The Responsible Gaming page offers different methods of help to people who may have a problem. The company has tied up with charities and organizations like GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous so that customers can reach out and get help when required.

A restriction of account feature is offered in which a user can block themselves from accessing a particular gambling section. A user can stop themselves from excessive gambling by setting a deposit limit for a day, week or a month.  This will ensure that the site imposes a restriction on allowing more money to be deposited. The total time limit set for self exclusion ranges from 6 months to 5 years depending on the severity of the addiction.

The company’s Privacy Policy page lists the type of information the company collects and also gives information on the different ways that the company uses the information that has been collected.

William Hill: Market Reputation

The company has many positives going for it. The brand has a strong market reputation and is considered to be a part of British gambling heritage. The number of eSports games offered on which bets can be placed is much more than what many of its top competitors offer, though the type of bets that can be placed is extremely limited. William Hill has only recently started offering bets on eSports and as such their offering is expected to change and evolve in the coming months. Most of the company’s customers seem satisfied with their customer service but the company can focus on increasing its overall customer satisfaction. The company also scores highly on the technology front it uses to render services.