William Hill Teams With IGT For Nationwide Sports Betting Offering


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Two heavy hitters have joined up to create a stronger pitch in competing for share in the emerging US sports betting market.

International Game Technology (IGT) and William Hill US announced Tuesday a “multi-year agreement” to offer lotteries within US states “a full-service solution for sports betting.”

Per the release, this partnership allows both companies to offer states the opportunity to utilize a “fully-managed solution” to meet current and future needs in sports betting while maximizing revenues and ensuring a reliable service for bettors.

About the William Hill-IGT deal

Both IGT and William Hill have pounced on the ever-expanding world of state-sanctioned sports wagering. Combined, the two companies have a presence in all five states with legal sports betting. That includes Delaware and West Virginia, both of which operate sports betting via the state lottery. Additionally, IGT earned the contract to operate the Rhode Island sports betting industry with William Hill as its partner.

As the press release states, this new deal will build upon those foundations. The bookmaking background of Will Hill and the gaming technology expertise of IGT create a firm backbone for states interested in exploring legal sports betting via their lotteries.

According to the release, terms of the partnership will allow both IGT and William Hill to “jointly consider” future sports betting opportunities in other states. Commercial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As a result of the partnership, IGT’s PlayShot will become available to state lotteries. Described as an end-to-end sports betting platform for retail and mobile operations, PlayShot is already live in four states as a B2B solution for sports book operators.

What they’re saying

Renato Ascoli, IGT CEO, North America, praised William Hill’s “proven leadership and capability” in US sports betting. Those qualities, he said in the release, “will ensure that we are able to fully support our lottery customers as states start to regulate these products.”

“Through this unique partnership, our customers will be able to enter this new activity with total confidence and trust in the service being offered. IGT is uniquely positioned as a leader in both lottery and sports betting technologies to deliver innovative solutions that will expand the possibilities for players and for lotteries themselves in this exciting new market. By forming this partnership with William Hill, we are able to bring to our lottery customers in every state a world-class combination of technology and operational expertise.”

Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, said:

“We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with IGT to address the U.S. lottery market together. William Hill’s track record as an operator globally, and our clear leadership as a sports book operator in the U.S., in particular, mean that U.S. lotteries can be confident that in choosing IGT and us together, they will be benefiting from a reliable, trustworthy, and responsibly-managed solution – maximizing revenues to each state with a quality product and service.”

Will Hill pads portfolio, IGT expands reach

The relationship between William Hill and IGT took a major step late last month, when the two signed a five-year contract to run sports betting in Rhode Island after IGT was the lone bidder for the contract. IGT now operates as a partner with the Rhode Island Lottery, raking 32 percent of revenue for its services.

The tech company enters the corner of William Hill, which has taken the US legalized sports betting world by storm. Will Hill operates the book at Monmouth Park, which launched the first New Jersey sports betting operation.

This partnership for William Hill comes on the heels of the bookmakers teaming up with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. It become the first wagering operation to partner with a team from any of the four major North American sports leagues.