William Hill Moves to Dominate In-Stadium Betting with Deal

Last Updated: 28 Sep 2017

Betting giant William Hill has recently announced it will enter into a two-year partnership with BD Stadia – the specialist stadium betting providers. BD Stadia is the largest provider of its kind in the UK, with access to a number of large football clubs. This is a move that's certain to benefit both companies in the long run!

Ongoing Partnership

This news may not come as a complete surprise. Both companies have already drawn up plans to work together in a number of stadiums, including Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, as well as Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium and Everton’s Goodison Park. The relationship has proved to be a fruitful one so far:

"BD Sport has done an excellent job activating our stadium betting partnership rights with Chelsea, Everton and Spurs and we are delighted to be able to extend our relationship with these new Premier League and EFL club deals."

In response, BD Sport's Groups Joint MD Tony Warwick said:

"It’s exciting that William Hill has recognised the dynamic engagement our service provides on a match day at White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge and are partnering with us to expand that across the country. We are extremely pleased to be working with them for the next two years and look forward to football fans collecting their winnings online and in shops."

Upcoming Benefits

BD Stadia has made great strides in the last six years, dominating the in-stadium betting industry. By providing stores and staff in major stadium betting stores, they've made it even easier for bid brand bookies to tap into the lucrative game day betting trade. The online collection and betting service makes the process streamlined.

The company also handles all the logistics and marketing of game day betting for its brands. This is obviously an attractive option for companies like William Hill. They have direct access to customers without having to personally deal with the management and training of additional stadium stores and staff.

It's a cost-effective, resource-light revenue stream, which explains BD Stadia's success in the past few years. This move also indicates just how well William Hill has recovered from its previous financial troubles. In 2008, the company had around £1bn in debt, but by last year, had successfully expanded to the US, Canada and Australia.

Future Implications

While football stadiums are the obvious focal point of this partnership, there's an additional aspect that's of interest – the fact that BD Stadia also works with a number of big hitters in the online gaming industry. Currently, the two companies have agreed to partner on the English Football League – already a hugely profitable industry and betting staple for millions.

New avenues are also on the horizon, however. The eSports industry is quickly gaining momentum and already fills stadiums around the world. While most of the industry events tend to be focused in Asia, gaming championships have started gaining more traction in Europe and the US. William Hill is certainly not in the dark about these developments.

Last year, they became the first bookmaker to take legal bets on eSports in the US. The ruling by the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee was only a matter of time, given the popularity of eSports events in the state, and William Hill was there first. Given the continued and impressive growth of eSports events and teams, it's very likely all bookmakers will follow suit.

Currently there are around £15 million worth of eSports wagers a year, according to William Hill. The bookmaker is even offering odds that eSports will be in the Olympics by 2024. As BD Stadia are already well-established in this market, it's entirely possible that there's more to the recently announced two-year partnership with William Hill.

If things go well, as they look set to, it's very likely the partnership will not only continue, but be at the forefront of major eSports events in the UK. Currently, most events are fairly small – presented as part of gaming conventions like EGX.

This is changing, however, and both BD Stadia and William Hill look set to be ready for the inevitable move to large-scale stadium events. Visit William Hill today to checkout their latest odds and markets thanks to the lucrative partnerships and sponsorships!