William Hill to run in-stadium betting at Celtic Park
William Hill has signed a deal with Celtic FC to become the club’s in-stadium betting partner.
UK.- William Hill, now owned by 888 Holdings in Europe, has entered a deal with Celtic FC to become the Scottish Premiership champions’ in-stadium betting partner. It will run sports betting facilities at the Celtic Park stadium for two seasons, starting now.
The deal will revive William Hill’s presence in Scottish football two years after the end of its nine-year partnership with the Scottish Cup and Scotland’s national team. The Scottish FA decided not to renew those arrangements beyond July 2020 because of the increased public criticism of gambling promotion in footballl.
This deal will not include sponsorship – Celtic already has a deal with Dafabet. Instead, it covers the management of the in-stadium betting kiosks at Celtic Park.
Liam McKee, William HIll’s director of media, sponsorship & UK creative, said: “We are delighted to partner up with Celtic at their iconic home and deliver our unrivalled retail betting experience to the Celtic faithful. It promises to be another exciting season at Paradise, and we are thrilled to be along for the journey.”
Celtic said William Hill had been “part of the local community” for decades, noting that it has redeveloped its retail unit outside the stadium.
Celtic FC commercial director Adrian Filby said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with an industry leader in William Hill. We are certain that supporters who use this service will benefit from an enhanced stadium experience throughout the season.”
Last month, William Hill opened the first in a series of planned “digital” betting shops, transforming a Leeds retail unit to offer a new digitised experience, which it says offers more eco-friendly paperless betting.
The trial betting shop features “integrated research tables” that allow customers to read digital versions of the Racing Post to access information on betting markets. It also has mobile phone charging stations. Meanwhile, 888 reported a downturn in Q3 revenue due to its exit from the Netherlands and player safety measures in Britain.
