Founded in 1934, William Hill is one of the best-known names in the gambling industry, providing gaming and betting services across three channels: online, on the high street and on the phone. We have been listed on the London Stock Exchange (WMH.L) since 2002 and employ over 16,600 people in the UK, Ireland, Israel, Bulgaria and Gibraltar.

Our aim is to give our customers what they want, when they want it, where they want it. We are one of the UK's leading bookmakers, with a trusted high-street brand based on our in-depth knowledge of fixed-odds betting and our unrivalled customer service. With the advent of internet betting and gaming, we have extended our market-leading brand to a new generation of customers around the world.

Strategy

William Hill's operations are based around three channels: online, retail (betting shops) and telephone betting. Through our three channels, we are constantly adapting to the changing environment, with different strategies for each to capitalise on the opportunities available.

Retail: constantly evolving and improving

William Hill is already the leader in UK high street betting and gaming, with approximately 25% of a mature, stable LBO market. We will continue to increase our market share by investing to improve and expand our estates, by enhancing the range of products we offer and by providing high-quality customer service. We maximise the cash flows from our Retail business through tight cost control and careful capital expenditure.

Online: maximising new opportunities

In creating William Hill Online, we established one of Europe’s top three online betting and gaming companies. In 2009, we have built the necessary infrastructure and products to continue to be a market leader in this high growth market. We aim to grow our UK market share and to expand into new territories, particularly in Europe, using our strong brand name, sports-betting knowledge, market-leading gaming products and marketing expertise.

Telephone: focusing on the positives

Telephone is our most mature channel, serving loyal, long-standing and sophisticated customers. The competitive environment for Telephone has been changed by offshore operators and betting exchanges, affecting profitability in this channel. To return this channel to an acceptable level of profitability, we will focus on the needs of the core customer base for whom Telephone is the preferred channel and tailor the size and location of our operations appropriately.

Key facts about William Hill's retail business:

We operate in around 2,300 betting shops across the UK and Ireland, most of which are open seven days a week, offering odds and taking bets on a wide range of sporting and other events

We process over one million betting slips every day

The gaming machines that we offer in the majority of betting shops enable customers to bet on roulette, slots and other random number generated events

Our call centres for telephone betting can handle over 600 calls simultaneously

We own and operate two Greyhound stadia (in Sunderland and Newcastle)

Key facts about William Hill Online:

In October 2008, we established William Hill Online, the leading European online gaming and sports betting business

Our online Sportsbook serves customers from over 175 countries, offering six languages and 11 currencies

In 2007, we took online bets from 169 countries for over 60,000 events (350,000 markets) and over 30 sports

Our gaming websites offer casino, poker, bingo and skill games