Operations
The company operates worldwide, employing approximately 16,600 people with main offices in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar, offering betting by phone and Internet together with their 2300 UK-wide Licensed Betting Offices. They are the largest UK operator, representing around 25 per cent of the market throughout the UK and Ireland. Its telebetting call centres took 125,000 bets on the 2007 Grand National and according to the company its betting shops process more than one million betting slips on an average day.
In addition to its online sportsbook operations, the company offers online casino games, 'skill games', online bingo and online poker. Since the Gambling Act 2005, gaming machines have strengthened profits to counteract falling revenues in other areas.
William Hill ran their very own cable TV channel in 2004 which lasted two years, and now offer a in-house live visual broadcast direct to their Betting Offices. This is filmed in the Leeds studios and, running in tandem with the shop radio output, offers a unique service to prospective punters.
In August 2010, William Hill launched a training programme for its 10,000+ workforce to combat underage gambling in its retail outlets.
The company has been criticised by Community (trade union) and Unite (trade union) for its treatment of shop-workers. In particular the practices of exposing staff to risk by forcing them to work in the offices alone, and requiring staff to undertake unpaid work after the end of their working day have been identified.
In November 2008 analysts at UBS noted "concern" at the Company's level of debt, which stood at over £1bn and was later reported as £1.5bn. In 2009 the company enacted both a rights issue and a corporate bond issue, in an effort to restructure its debt.
From 2001 until 2009, William Hill paid George Howarth MP £30,000 pa. to act as a Parliamentary advisor. While on William Hill's payroll he tabled amendments to the 2003 budget proposing tougher levels of taxation for person-to-person betting exchanges. Howarth left the role in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal.
Read more about this topic: William Hill (bookmaker)
Famous quotes containing the word operations:
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