by Renee Israel
A war of words between rival UK bookmakers is being played out in the
national media, with William Hill being accused of using excessive marketing
hype to draw attention to itself.
William Hill, the gambling and sports betting giant, rattled its competitors
when it claimed that a £500,000 bet to win £100,000 was made by one of its
punters on the hurdler Big Buck's during the recent Grand National Festival at
Aintree.
William Hill said that the bet - which will go down as the biggest single
wager taken in its 78 year history - was made by one of its clients with a
credit card in the South of England. The bet was placed in a High Street betting
shop.
According to The Daily Mail, William Hill is only providing selective
information about the wager, a move which has earned the wrath of rival groups
who are accusing the group are excessive and perhaps doubtful hype.
In addition, the competition is grumbling over William Hill's claims that it
believes £1 billion will be wagered through the groups land and online
facilities during the FA Cup semi finals, as well as National Week.
UK Sports Betting Groups Criticise William Hill
David Stevens of Coral gambling group was open about what his company felt
about William Hill's claims. "One betting firm is out on its own with the
publicity tactics it's pursuing," he said. "At least the rest of us have
semblance of truth in what we claim."
Ladbrokes bookmaker also slammed Will Hill, with company spokesman, David
Williams saying: "This is irresponsible, it's out of hand!"
But despite William Hill rattling rival bookmakers, the betting group
was firm in its stance, and backed its claims by providing the Daily Mail
with a copy of the 1/5 odds-on betting slip of the mysterious South England
Aintree punter.
"We're the leading bookmaker," said Kate Miller of William Hill. "We don't
have to make things up and have audited accounts."
William Hill Bookmaker is Industry Leader
William Hill has been part of the UK betting industry for decades and has
been providing high quality gambling action through its betting shops, phone
betting facilities and website to millions of players over the years.
In 2011, William Hill took in £18 billion in wagers and is aiming to increase
this by the end of 2012.
The publicly listed William Hill Plc employs over 15,000 people in the United
Kingdom, Gibraltar, Israel and Bulgaria.
