The Caesars Sportsbook has officially launched in the country after officially merging with William Hill. Caesars Leisure may be dropping and replacing the William Hill model but customers can still expect the same Cesar’s atmosphere and branding they have come to love. Not too long ago, Caesars purchased William Hill US for approximately $4 billion.
Caesars opted to purchase William Hill US after Eldorado Resorts finalized its $17.3 billion acquisition of Caesars last year in July. At the time of the acquisition, questions were raised as to which entity would operate the combined company’s sportsbooks. Caesars has always had an internal sports betting division while Eldorado enjoyed an exclusive agreement with William Hill.
Now that the merged companies have decided to keep Caesars branding across all William Hill US, Caesars now has a sport wagering presence in 18 states, including 13 that enjoy mobile betting licenses. Before the year is out, Caesars expects that it will be in an additional 2 states bringing the total to 20.
Caesars’ acquisition of William Hill will be a huge catalyst for the growth of the Caesars Rewards loyalty program. This program will allow William Hill’s customers to earn rewards that they can use across the Caesars land-based casino and resorts, as well as online outlets. With the William Hill brand under their belt, the Caesars brand now boasts online sports betting and iGaming applications.
What we cover
Why phase out William Hill US?
Although the William Hill brand is being absorbed now, it is essential to acknowledge William Hill’s importance in the development of the sports betting industry in the country. For years, William Hill was one of the largest and most well-known sportsbooks in Nevada. At its prime, William Hill had more than 500 retail locations across the state and was therefore considered a market leader in Nevada.
If you may recall, sports betting has been legal in Nevada for years. So much so that Roundhill Investment (who owned William Hill) used to generate almost a third of the gross revenue generated from sports betting operators in the state. However, when sports betting was legalized in the country in 2018, things changed drastically for the brand.
The environment in Nevada suddenly became fiercely competitive. While William Hill enjoyed success in newer states such as Iowa or the District of Columbia, other bigger more popular brands like DraftKings and FanDuel have dominated in a short period, especially in those states that allow online gambling.
For example, in Indiana, the state Gaming Commission recorded a monthly handle of $316.7 million and gross revenues of $26.4 million. DraftKings app managed to generate $111.2 million of the handle and $8.5 million in revenue. FanDuel, on the other hand, generated $91.3 million in the handle and revenue of $6.8 million. William Hill’s mobile handle, on the other hand, was $9.5 million, which meant that it only generated $879,000 in revenue.
That’s why Caesars is flipping all William Hill operations in the US and using the Caesars brand instead. It makes sense to drop the William Hill branding in exchange for the Caesars name as Caesars is already an established and respected brand in the gambling scene.
The Caesars sportsbook app is already live in 8 states namely West Virginia, Colorado, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Iowa, Michigan, and of course, New Jersey. Pending approval, Caesars sportsbook expects to avail its services for customers in Louisiana, Maryland, and Arizona. Outside the US, William Hill is a staple throughout Europe and the UK. However, Caesars is going to offload this wing of the business too when the time comes.
What can people expect from the Caesar sportsbook app?
The competition is tough in the US sports betting market and Caesars must do everything possible to market itself in an effort to stand out. To attract new customers, Caesars has been giving an array of promos to new customers and visitors. When new visitors take part in a promo in the Caesars Sportsbook, win or lose, they will get the opportunity to collect Caesars Rewards credit that they can use in more than 50 properties across 16 states.
Apart from allowing punters to place wagers, Caesar’s sportsbook will also give punters access to in-depth odds and betting limits so that they can make the most informed decisions possible. As the face of its marketing campaign, Caesars is using well-known comedians JB Smoove and Patton Oswalt.
Users that sign up for the Caesars Sportsbook stand a chance to walk away with the best bonus available in the market. The Caesars Sportsbook is offering a $5000 risk-free bet for first-timers that sign up and make their first deposit. Most other sportsbooks only offer bonuses in the range of $500-$1,000 with risk-free bets. As such, the Caesars Sportsbook promo is 5 times bigger than what other sportsbooks are offering.
In New Jersey, William Hill sportsbooks are located in 4 AC casinos, as well as in Monmouth Park. 3 of the 4 AC casinos with William Hill sportsbooks include Tropicana, Caesars, and Harrah’s were already under Caesar’s helm even before the acquisition was complete.
The other property that Caesars is gaining access to is Ocean Casino Resort, which has one of the most popular William Hill branded books in the city. In other states that need registration in-person registration such as Nevada, Washington, and Illinois, the Caesars Sportsbook app will officially be known as the Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.
Final Thoughts
Now that Caesars has officially taken over the William Hill brand, Caesars has just gained a bigger and hopefully more loyal following, which is crucial in the super-competitive online gambling market in the country. After its $3 million acquisition of William Hill, Caesars is pledging to keep investing in the sports betting market.
It recently confirmed that it would indeed be sponsoring the Superdome in Louisiana for the next 2 decades. As you already know, the Superdome will serve as the new home of the New Orleans Saints. This will help to position Caesar’s sportsbooks further among NFL supporters.
