William Hill inks deals in Irish racing as US casino workers steal $70K via rigged betting kiosks in Nevada. (Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash)
The prominent British sportsbook and casino William Hill has been making moves to expand their presence in Irish horse racing, bringing on some new ambassadors from the industry and renewing a sponsorship deal for a big upcoming race.
But at the same time, the brand is facing an embarrassing scandal stateside – employees at some of their Nevada casinos have been caught stealing tens of thousands of dollars right under their noses. Although the US brand is owned by Ceasars, while the UK brand is owned by 888 Holdings.
This news piece takes a look at what’s going on with William Hill on both sides of the Atlantic. In Ireland, WH is teaming up with key figures from the world of horse racing as part of an effort to promote the sport and their own brand in both Ireland and Britain. But in the U.S., the sport betting brand had to fire staff at multiple casinos due to an elaborate theft operation involving rigged betting machines.
It’s an interesting contrast – William Hill’s working on expanding their reach in a new, yet familiar gambling market in Ireland, while its stateside owner is dealing with what seems to be a recurring issue at their American properties when it comes to fraud and lax oversight.
Full Stories Below: As you read through this news piece, you’ll get the details on both situations. Insights from the British casino side of the business, and what they might mean for the future of this UK betting industry giant. On the other side of the pond, we look at scandals in the Caesars-owned section of the brand.
William Hill – Irish Horse Racing
The British betting company William Hill has brought on four new ambassadors from Irish horse racing – trainer Gavin Cromwell, presenter Jane Mangan, and jockeys JJ Slevin and Sean Flanagan. The four will be making blogs and videos for William Hill to promote the sport both in Ireland and the UK. Their stuff will go out on William Hill’s social media.
Slevin is set to ride with Fastorslow at the Dublin Racing Festival coming up soon. These ambassadors are starting just as William Hill renewed its three-year sponsorship of the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown Festival. A new tie-up with Irish media outfit Off The Ball will also put William Hill in the middle of things in Irish racing.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gavin, Jane, JJ and Sean on board,” said Andrew McCleave, William Hill’s Marketing Head in Ireland. “They’ll give our followers an inside look at the racing world.” He said William Hill has long supported racing in the UK and now wants to “be part of the action” in Ireland too. The extended Punchestown deal shows this.
Workers at William Hill Casino Stole Money from Betting Machines
A few workers at the William Hill casinos in Nevada were fired recently. The state’s gambling watchdog group found out they had stolen over $70,000 from the company. The Nevada Gaming Control Board started investigating in December 2022. They think around 7 workers were part of the stealing plan. Three have already been canned by William Hill.
How did they carry out the dirty dead?
The workers rigged some machines that let you bet on sports. These self-service betting gadgets are called kiosks. They used software to add extra cash to certain kiosks in secret. Then they printed fake winning tickets from those machines and turned them in for real money. One boss, with the initials M.B., changed machine amounts by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Another worker, T.R., did the same thing. These weird adjustments tipped off investigators.
Similar Instances Have Happened Before
Something very similar happened before in 2021. Two other William Hill guys admitted they stole about $200,000 doing the same kiosk scheme. They both got fired and had to pay back the money. These cases show that gambling venues need to keep checking their systems for new weaknesses. William Hill has to find ways to stop this from happening again. And the Nevada gaming board has to watch all casinos to protect customers.
Stateside Scandal: Over in the USA, William Hill’s owner is Ceasars Entertainement, while in the UK 888 Holdings owns the 888Sport and 888Casino brands as well as land-based betting shops.
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