Some within the US gaming industry believed William Hill’s heritage could work against their ability to build a brand in America, saying the brand was not new and hip. William Hill also operates physical sportsbooks in Nevada and New Jersey which laid the ground work to have an online presence as soon as PASPA was repealed in 2018. Today the company operates over 2,300 licensed physical sportsbooks, which, in the UK, are more commonly referred to as betting shops. It wasn’t until 1966 that William Hill had his first legal betting shop. Back in 1934 when William Hill founded the company, gambling in Britain was illegal. Ironically, Will Hill began as an illegal sportsbook taking bets by phone and mail. When European bettors think of the licensed, legal sports betting standard, they think of William Hill. William Hill is one of the oldest and most prestigious names in bookmaking.
