One Of the biggest bookmakers in the world, William Hill have left the betting rings at race meetings after over 80 years of being on course in Britain. They will be selling all 82 of there betting pitches to the company that is currently betting under the Sid Hooper Name.
William Hill are now set to be putting all there on course focus into 41 racecourse shops in a bid to try and maximise their returns. The betting company have been a stalwart of British betting rings for an amazing amount of years and this shift to on course shops is a huge move in horse racing and only time will tell as to how it will affect the punter experience and the bookmakers profits.
The sale of the on course pitches is said to be sold for around £2 million in a price that has been agreed with the buyers.
(Credit Racing Post) William Hill's Trading Director Terry Pattinson Said: "With a William Hill betting shop now at 41 racecourses, we have reviewed whether our rails operation continues to make commercial sense.
"Our focus now is to provide on-course customers with a full retail experience on the racecourse, so it makes sense to move away from our rails operation, hence, we have agreed a sale with Racecourse Pitches Ltd. We wish them the best of luck with their new expanded operations."
William Hill, Who started the company was known as one of the biggest and best bookmakers of his generation and when the 1960 Betting and Gambling Act came into Fruition that is when he became a well known figure on the racecourses.
Hill died when he was 68 years old on October 15, 1971, after suffering a fatal heart attack in a Hotel in Newmarket.