New William Hill owner Caesars Entertainment will be moving forward without the head of the sportsbook’s US operations.
Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US since 2012, stepped down, both Caesars and Asher confirmed Thursday. CDC Gaming Reports first reported the information.
“This is true,” Asher told LSR in an email. “Future plans are to take a little time off and then pick some winners in Del Mar. After that, time will tell.”
Asher heading to the races seems like a fitting transition. He was the youngest track announcer in North America when he started in Delaware and also held management positions at multiple tracks.
He joined William Hill as the US CEO when the brand bought his Brandywine Bookmaking, which Asher started in 2008.
Delayed William Hill takeover finally moves forward
A statement from Asher was notably missing from Caesars’ press release sent the same day confirming the closing of the $4.0 billion acquisition.
“We are thrilled to complete the acquisition of William Hill, combining two of the premier operations in the sports betting and iGaming industries under one roof,” said Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “We look forward to announcing future sports partnerships that will drive long-term growth.”
It was more than a month ago the sports betting company announced its acquisition by Caesars would be challenged in a UK court. Two hedge funds contested the company’s board did not do everything it could to allow a rival bid.
Still, even with the court hearing scheduled for March 31, William Hill expected the acquisition to close April 6 and be delisted in London by the next morning.
That’s clearly not what happened as it took nearly three weeks for a decision, which was announced Tuesday. Either way, the deal is now completed and Caesars can move forward with its US sports betting plans.
Caesars has big plans for Will Hill
Caesars plans to have its new sportsbook brand in 20 US jurisdictions by the end of the year, up from 18 right now.
The company plans to unify the wallet and experience between William Hill sportsbooks and Caesars online casinos. Caesars will also cross-sell William Hill to its Caesars Rewards database of around 60 million customers.
While Will Hill might not be as well-known as some of the bigger sports betting brands in the US, it should be soon. Caesars, along with DraftKings and FanDuel, are all official sports betting partners of the NFL.
