About our industry

Gambling is a leisure pastime that is enjoyed the world over. It is particularly popular in the UK, where games of chance and betting on sports – horse racing in particular – have long been part of British culture. The internet has changed the face of the industry, not only giving companies access to new customers in different territories, but also enabling a far more varied and exciting portfolio of gaming and betting products to be offered.

Market size

In 2007 the UK gambling market was estimated at around £2.5bn in gross win (the amount remaining once all customers’ winning bets are paid). This is based on Government Betting Duty revenues of £373m at a rate of 15% (source: HMRC). This includes revenues from betting shops, telephone betting and those online businesses based in the UK.

The competition and William Hill’s market share

Many customers tend to use more than one provider, so any estimates have to recognise that these same customers might also be going to competitors and indeed to different channels. Our estimates are as follows:

Online

Online betting has a broad set of competitors, including William Hill, Ladbrokes, Totesport, Coral, Betfred, BlueSquare, 888, Stan James, Boylesports, Victor Chandler, Betfair and many more. According to global research company research TNS in 2007, some 26% of regular online bettors had a William Hill account, although many customers had accounts with other providers as well. Online customers are particularly likely to have multiple accounts, more so than the other channels.

Retail

In the UK market, there are five large players on the high street, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Tote, Coral and Betfred, who together account for over 80% of all betting shops. William Hill is the largest, owning some 25% of the total number of betting shops, and reaching, by our estimate, some 45% of regular customers.

Telephone

For telephone betting, the same five companies appear, although there is also a significant presence from other, principally online brands, the main ones being PaddyPower, Bet365 and SkyBet. Based on TGI analysis (which measures consumer purchasing habits, media exposure and attitudes) we estimate that William Hill is the largest player in terms of usage in telephone betting, reaching some 45% of customers.

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