William Hill Talks About TV Ads & The UKGC Preaches Diversity

August 22, 2017 0

William Hill Chief Executives Talks About Gambling TV Ads

William Hill’s chief executive stated that he would personally want to see the betting industry be more controlled in the aspect of TV ads. He also suggested that William Hill will certainly benefit from the limited amount of TV ads and the less air time they get, as the company already has a reliable and strong brand recognition. The statement by Bowcock came following the release of the half-year results of the enterprise. The reports were well-received, and it showed that the internet business managed a turnaround that increased by 10 percent in gaming revenues. As for the Retail results within the United Kingdom, they were strong, regardless of the comparator period from 2016, and this includes the Euros. The company released these reports on the same day the Times launched an attack, once again,on the gambling industry. Such attack stressed on the limits of the FOBTs and pointed out the failures of the UK government regarding the stakes for online gambling as well as the wagering TV ads. Bowcock also added that the Gambling industry needs to get back on track when it comes to defending the right it has to offer its business. On the other hand, he also added that the industry should also be ready to give up power when it comes to gambling Ads, as according to his personal view, there is just a lot of gambling ads on TV at the moment. On the other hand, he said that from the perspective of the business, William Hill already has the brand recognition in the UK.

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The Upcoming Changes to the FOBTs Stakes

He also stated that he believes that the industry sector has been working to find a solution regarding the concerns relating to the number of players who self-exclude themselves from gambling in the United Kingdom. He also pointed out that there is a nation-wide self-exclusion scheme that is going to be available soon, he also stated that the gambling sector has the needed algorithms and that they can see the markers of gambling harm.

Following the presentation of the results, the Chief Executive stated that the high-street sector of the United Kingdom was waiting for the government’s triennial review recommendations. However, he made his point that regardless of what the report says about the FOBTs staking levels, the industry will probably get a year to manage the situation before the full implementation of the stake changes.

He said that there is going to be a three month period for consultation after the announcement, which they expect to be in October. Then, following the three month consultation period, there will be a 9-month period for implementation. So, in truth, the companies and the entire industry still have one year so they can organize and prepare for the imminent changes.

If the review of the government regarding the FOBTs result in reducing stakes to have a £2 limit for the B3 machines in wagering shops, it will crater the retail of William Hill. Paul Leyland, who is a partner at Regulus Partners, pointed out that according to the substitution levels across the different types of machines, this can result in the complete wipe out of the retained profit. He also added that this would lead to hurting the total group profit, as the retail profits count for 82% of its total.

Paul Leyland added that the company is currently no longer in an operational tailspin, which is something that investors have recognized, the same investors who helped the company push its share price up by eight percent. Bowcock stated that the corporation got rewarded for keeping their word, and it did what it promised.

William Hill in Numbers

The gaming revenues increased by 10 percent which was a helping factor to increase the net income by 5 per cent to reach 290m pounds, which was also aided by self-help. The sportsbook sector of William Hill saw a decrease of one percent, which is mainly because of the 4-basis point fall in the gross margin that reached 6.9%. Without the Euros of 2016, the Sportsbook sector’s wagered amounts increased by fifteen percent, and the number of active players grew by 7 per cent.

When it comes to the retail sector; William Hill’s net revenue decreased by two percent, while the OTC revenue witnessed a decline of 7 per cent. As for gaming, it went up by 3 per cent. Bowcock admitted that regarding the SSBTs’ (self-service betting terminals), William Hill was a bit behind the rest when it came to the number of these machines. On the other hand, he stated that their machines were better than the competitors when it came to the product itself rather than the number. He added that William Hill is going to introduce a brand new loyalty card for the SSBT customers; it will be called the “Plus” loyalty card. He said that eighty-thousand clients signed up.

Bowcock Talks about William Hill International Operations

When it came to the company’s international business, he stated that the Aussie business had been recently focusing on the improvement of the product before the imminent regulatory changes. The Australian government is going to introduce a ban on all forms of credit wagering, and the government is also considering adding taxes according to the point of consumption, like South Australia. As for William Hill’s operations in the USA, the regulatory situation is much brighter. William Hill is hoping that the decision of the Supreme Court regarding sports wagering in the state of NJ would result in a bigger US market.

Diversity is the Key – According to the UK Gambling Commission

According to the Executive Director for regulatory strategy, lotteries and consumers of the UKGC, Sarah Gardner, diversity is entirely necessary for all aspects of the industry.

Sarah Gardner, the UKGC’s executive director for lotteries, consumers, and the regulatory strategy, discusses the importance of diversity across all levels of the gambling industry. Sarah Gardner states that the current regulation and laws that manage the Gambling industry does not have any regulatory requirements when it comes to diversity, and even the statutory objectives do not make any reference to it.

Although the regulatory forces do not mention it, diversity could play an essential role in many aspects of the gambling industry that regulators look at carefully, for example, corporate governance. She added that the regulatory body wants to witness stronger corporate governance through the businesses that they regulate. She added that the importance of diversity is evident from the growing evidence that the variety of the teams and boards would lead to better decisions. Also, it plays a role in delivering superb governance.