by Anton Johan
Top UK gambling giant, William Hill, is apparently experiencing
problems with staff members in its Tel Aviv head office.
The Sun has claimed that 200 members of the gambling group's online
support office in the Israeli city staged a mass walkout in protest over rumours
that William Hill will be relocating the unit to Gibraltar or the United
Kingdom.
The newspaper also claims that William Hill's chief marketing officer for its
online business, Eyal Sanoff, has resigned from his post.
Several senior managers with the UK gambling group face disciplinary action
related to the William Hill staff walkout.
William Hill did not comment on the walkout in a statement issued today, but
confirmed that "several other senior managers in Tel Aviv are now subject to
disciplinary actions in relation to the disruption this week within the
marketing business in Tel Aviv, and in the customer service and back office
operations in Manila and Bulgaria."
The statement also confirmed that there was "no intention" to relocate sales
and marketing to Gibraltar or the UK as speculated in rumours.
William Hill Management in Tel Aviv
It was also stated in the press release issued by the Gibraltar based
gambling group that "senior William Hill online management are currently on the
ground in Tel Aviv working through these issues."
With Israel currently in the midst of a week long holiday, it may be
difficult for management to sort out the issues as fast as they expect to.
William Hill online and land gambling giant said that the majority of
employees in the Tel Aviv customer support head office had excellent working
relationships with the group and with their colleagues in other countries.
It was important for William Hill gambling group to reassure the public in
its statement that there was no disruption to the consumer websites "at
present".
William Hill is considered one of the world's biggest betting groups, having
taken in over £16 billion in stakes last year alone. According to the
William Hill website it is building its business "by bringing the excitement of
gaming and betting to the UK and international customers through a strong retail
presence and growing online activities."
Earlier this week, William Hill announced the appointment of Georgina Harvey
and Imelda Walsh as non-executive directors with effect from November 1st. The
pair bring with them extensive and diverse experience from the media and retail
industries and are able to provide the group with useful insights into
regulatory issues and people issues, explained the chairman of William Hill,
Gareth Davis.
