William Hill PLC is one of the UK’s oldest and most respected high street bookmakers. The company was founded in 1934, at a time when gambling was illegal in Britain, by way of a legal loophole that allowed betting with postal stamps. After a buyout of the betting firm Stanley leisure in 2005, William Hill became the number one betting outlet on the high street. Initially, Hills struggled to repeat its high street success in the online market; however, a partnership with Israeli software company Playtech has seen the online betting portal go from strength to strength in recent years.
Markets and features
William Hill offers the usual range of sportsbook and casino betting opportunities. Specific focus has been placed on televised sports such as football, snooker and darts. A wide range of payment methods are accepted, which is a welcome change from many of the bigger bookies. Paypal, Skrill, bank transfer, Visa, and ClickandBuy are just some of the depositing options that you can choose from here. The minimum stake is the usual amount of £10, but you can withdraw as little as £2, which makes a refreshing change in an industry where smaller withdrawals are being increasingly phased out. A cashout option is offered on most in-play sports, although the prices here seem shorter than those offered by other bookies.
Appearance
The layout of williamhill.com is a bit of a calamity – with as much information as possible crammed onto every inch of the screen. The main page features dozens of categories of betting opportunities and long lists of in-play events. It will take most users quite a while to become accustomed to the layout, which looks dated and unergonomic compared to the competition. This situation isn’t helped by the large amount of internal advertising which is spattered over each page. Once you are familiar with the site, however, it is generally quite simple to find what you are looking for.
Odds and Bonuses
This is where William Hill really let themselves down. For such a big name in the industry, you would expect Hills to offer phenomenal online betting odds – and you’d be wrong. Don’t expect to see Hills to features in the lists of best value bookmakers anytime soon. The bonus situation isn’t much better. You won’t get any PaddyPower style “money for nothing” bets here, nor will you get a sign-up bonus without depositing, and staking, at least £20. Right now, Hills are offering a £25 matched bet on your first deposit. This is a poor haul compared to the competition, who regularly offer free bonus funds without depositing a penny. Even for a matched bet, it fails to hit the mark with competitors such as TitanBet who are currently offering a whopping 100% bonus up to a £200 stake.
Conclusion
William Hill’s online betting portal is worth a decidedly average 2.5 out of five stars. While its low withdrawal limit and a wide range of deposit methods are a welcome change, you’ll struggle to find any real incentive to place your bets here over some of the smaller portals. Your money will be better invested in the likes of BetVictor, Paddy Power, or bet365.
