Reports: William Hill in partnership talks with Penn National
Potential deal could give Hills a presence in 29 casinos across 16 states
William Hill is holding talks with Penn National for a market access and technology deal across the US, according to a report in London newspaper City A.M.
The UK-based bookmaker declined to comment when contacted by EGR, but the paper said the deal will see Hills “merge its sports betting technology with the footprint of Penn National gaming,” giving William Hill a presence in an additional 29 casinos throughout 16 states.
The talks are still “early stage”, according to the paper, but the deal could look similar to the one announced last week by Paddy power Betfair and Boyd Gaming, where PPB agreed to power Boyd’s online offerings while gaining access to 15 states via Boyd properties.
William Hill CEO Philip Bowcock told EGR last week the firm wasn’t necessarily trying to do a similar large-scale deal to PPB/Boyd, adding: “When you do a big deal like that it limits your ability to talk to the independent casinos.”
“The US is all about market access,” he added.
Hills is already expanding across the US, announcing last week agreements to provide sports books to eleven casinos in Mississippi and a “soon-to-be-announced” casino partner in West Virginia.
The firm said it is also in “advanced discussions with operators about deals that cover casinos in a further fourteen states in the US”.
Bowcock added: “It has been an excellent start for us since PASPA was overturned. We have built on our existing business in Nevada which is number one and growing and in Delaware where we are risk manager for the entire state.
“We are now the early market leader in New Jersey where our mobile app will launch within weeks and we expect to be market leader in Mississippi with these eleven casino agreements. The team continue to engage in discussions that cover a further fourteen states and they are doing a tremendous job.”