William Hill: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
William Hill Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited. It holds 75% or more of the company. In the year to December 2024 William Hill Limited reported turnover of £1,215m.
- In the year to December 2024, William Hill had turnover of £1,215m, down 1.0% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £35m, losing £2.85 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 9,790 people, with staff costs of £277m.
- William Hill Limited is controlled by 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from William Hill Limited's group accounts for the year to December 2024, filed at Companies House on 8 July 2025.
- Registered name
- WILLIAM HILL LIMITED
- Company number
- 04212563
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 8 May 2001
- Registered office area
- Belfast
- Industry code on the register
- 92000: Gambling and betting activities
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2024, filed 8 July 2025
What does William Hill do?
William Hill is a bookmaker that takes bets on sport, horse racing and other events through its betting shops and online, and also offers online casino games. It makes its money from the margin built into its odds and from gaming. The business was founded in London in 1934 by William Hill and is now owned by Evoke plc, the gambling group formerly called 888 Holdings.
In brief: bookmaker · betting shops and online · sports betting and gaming · owned by Evoke
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: williamhill.com.
Who owns William Hill?
The Companies House register records 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of William Hill Limited, company number 04212563. 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited is itself company number 12907596. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights. The control was notified on 22 April 2021.
That places William Hill Limited inside a larger group. Its accounts are group accounts, covering the companies it owns as well.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs William Hill?
The Companies House register lists 3 current officers for William Hill Limited.
All 3 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Ann Bisby | 4 November 2022 |
| Per Evald Widerstrom | 1 February 2024 |
| Sean Ernest Wilkins | 1 February 2024 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did William Hill file?
William Hill Limited reported turnover of £1,215m in the year to December 2024. That was down 1.0% on £1,227m the year before.
It reported 9,790 employees. The year before it reported 10,067.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £35m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £30m the year before.
Staff costs came to £277m. That is an average of £28,000 a head. It ended the year with £129m at the bank and net liabilities of £183m.
| Measure | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,215m | £1,227m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£35m (filed) | £30m (filed) |
| Employees | 9,790 | 10,067 |
| Staff costs | £277m | £255m |
| Average staff cost per head | £28,000 | £25,000 |
| Bank and cash | £129m | £138m |
| Net assets | -£183m | -£111m |
| Interest paid | £99m | |
| Interest received | £4m |
Read the accounts to December 2024 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against William Hill?
William Hill Limited has registered 1 charge at Companies House, and all of them have since been satisfied. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How William Hill compares
Of the 6 bookmakers, William Hill is 3rd on turnover, 6th on profit margin and 3rd on growth. Paddy Power and Betfair keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £17.35.
| Rank | Bookmakers | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bet365 | £4,042m | £8.38 |
| 3rd | William Hill | £1,215m | −£2.85 |
| + 4 more bookmakers ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
William Hill files as William Hill Limited, whose person with significant control is 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited, with turnover of £1,215m in its latest filed year.
Questions about William Hill
What does William Hill do?
William Hill is a bookmaker that takes bets on sport, horse racing and other events through its betting shops and online, and also offers online casino games. It makes its money from the margin built into its odds and from gaming. The business was founded in London in 1934 by William Hill and is now owned by Evoke plc, the gambling group formerly called 888 Holdings.
Is William Hill bigger than Bet365?
No, by turnover. William Hill reported £1,215m in its latest accounts, against £4,042m at Bet365. Our Bet365 v William Hill page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Bet365 v William Hill →
How does William Hill compare with its rivals?
By turnover, William Hill is 3rd of the 6 companies in our battle of the bookmakers, behind Bet365. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the bookmakers →
Who owns William Hill?
The Companies House register records 888 Vhl Uk Holdings Limited as the person with significant control of William Hill Limited. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights.
How much does William Hill make?
William Hill Limited reported turnover of £1,215m in the year to December 2024. It filed a pre-tax loss of £35m.
How many people work at William Hill?
William Hill Limited reported 9,790 employees in the year to December 2024.
Who runs William Hill?
The Companies House register lists 3 current officers for William Hill Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from William Hill Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 04212563, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “William Hill: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/william-hill/. Figures from Companies House filings for WILLIAM HILL LIMITED (04212563).
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