iGaming Business – Bookmaker William Hill is to replace rival Ladbrokes as the naming partner of the World Darts Championship after it agreed an initial two-year deal with event organiser the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament will now be known as the William Hill World Darts Championship under the terms of the seven-figure deal. The 72-player World Darts Championship takes place at the Alexandra Palace in London during the Christmas and New Year period. The tournament is also televised in the UK by pay-television broadcaster BSkyB. The deal marks William Hill’s second move into darts sponsorship after it backed the Grand…

iGaming Business – William Hill has launched its Android application and will include live streaming of horseracing and in-play radio as part of its mobile betting offering. The app complements the bookmaker’s iPhone version, which has been downloaded 1.5 million times, the group said. Juergen Reutter, operations director at William Hill Online, said the Android app was “a significant and important milestone in our goal. Mobile is growing phenomenally quickly and is a fantastic way to engage with our customers anytime, anywhere”. “The success of the iOS app has been breathtaking – reaching 1.5 million downloads is a very proud…

Telegraph – William Hill, Britain’s biggest bookmaker, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year and it’s worth reflecting on how the business has changed. The company used the anniversary of Ralph Topping’s six years as chief executive on Friday to highlight progression during his tenure, from a predominantly UK-focused business, reliant on high street betting shops for 80pc of its revenue and profit, to one which now generates 48pc of its operating profit from its online and Australian operations. The former was built in partnership with software group Playtech – now no longer a partner – while William Hill bought Sportingbet’s…

Reuters – William Hill, Britain’s largest bookmaker, said on Monday it was sticking to a planned timetable to replace its veteran CEO in 2015, despite a media report it wanted a successor in place this year. The company said it still envisaged a new CEO would take over next year, the previously announced retirement date for Ralph Topping, who has spent over 43 years with the firm, and became CEO in 2008. The Times newspaper reported on Monday that the bookmaker was seeking to replace Topping a year earlier than expected and would look to hire someone from outside the…

iGaming Business – Ralph Topping, the chief executive of bookmaker William Hill, has revealed he is opposed to the “clustering” of betting shops in the UK and has called on MPs to take action before the situation starts to “alienate” communities. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Topping said that he understands why people have objected to new betting shops opening on their local high street and claims to have seen “stark” examples of their direct impact. Topping also suggested handing licensing authorities more power to block such shops sprouting up if the regulators identified a damaging “cumulative impact”. “I’m…

iGaming Business – Online casino game provider Net Entertainment has agreed a deal to supply a range of desktop and mobile titles to UK bookmaker William Hill. Under the agreement, William Hill will now distribute the titles over its online casino network. The partnership will cover gaming distribution for all devices. “Both parties are now working very close together to secure a successful integration and planning for commercial launch and we are convinced that our games will be well received by William Hill’s player base,” managing director of Net Entertainment Malta Limited, Björn Krantz, said. James Curwen, director of gaming…