William Hill May Rebrand To Caesars In Illinois, But Will The Name Change Make A Difference?

After completing its $3.7 billion acquisition of William Hill, Caesars Entertainment is aiming to achieve substantial growth in the US sports betting market.

There is an anticipation for Caesars Sports to rebrand William Hill retail sportsbooks and apps in certain states in time for football betting season. The status of Illinois in this rebranding process remains uncertain at this time.

This principle also pertains to retail sportsbooks such as Grand Victoria Casino Elgin, which is currently operating under the William Hill brand.

Kate Whiteley, a spokesperson for Caesars, notified the website PlayIA.com, which caters to women.

Our mobile app and most casinos will be rebranded to showcase their connection to Caesars Entertainment, depending on the state. The William Hill brand will remain visible in both.

Caesars intends to consolidate the two applications by incorporating the Liberty single-wallet platform from William Hill. This could potentially result in a unified branding approach, such as “William Hill, in partnership with Caesars Sports” or a comparable phrase.

At present, William Hill Sportsbook does not hold a prominent position in Illinois.

William Hill has consistently been at the bottom of the list of sportsbooks in Illinois, with the lowest sports betting handle each month since its launch. However, in February, it finally reached a monthly handle of $10 million for the first time, while the top competitors usually see around $200 million in handle.

With that being said, it is likely that many Illinois sports bettors have not seen many William Hill advertisements.

Nevertheless, the game tycoon has promised to make immediate changes.

Caesars will forcefully invest in marketing

During the Q1 earnings call this week, Caesars CEO Tom Reeg stated that the company has been operating at a disadvantage while waiting for the William Hill deal to be completed.

Reeg pointed out that now that Caesars has the capability, they will ramp up their efforts to acquire sports betting customers.

William Hill, whose family and investment values were deeply ingrained in the UK, showed a more conservative approach to leverage within the company, exhibiting less aggression.

He went on to say that Caesars plans to greatly increase its investment in US sports betting.

Reeg believes that increased spending may result in a greater market share.

At present, there is a strong connection between spending and market share, particularly for companies. However, for other non-spending categories, this correlation is less pronounced. The positive cash flow we are currently experiencing is a good sign for us.

Reeg suggested that Caesars should follow in the footsteps of BetMGM.

BetMGM Sportsbook in Illinois, the second-largest online sportsbook in Michigan, has shown promise despite not yet launching. In contrast to DraftKings and FanDuel, MGM and Caesars are both well-known casino companies that mirror each other.

Nevertheless, it is more likely that states that have not yet launched will follow the Michigan BetMGM model rather than the Illinois model.

Why Illinois is challenging for William Hill and Caesars

Caesars may find Illinois to be a challenging market primarily because of the need for in-person registration.

To sign up for William Hill in Illinois, individuals are required to visit the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin. Despite its limited market presence in the state (reaching a maximum of 2% in February), there appears to be a lack of a defined plan to draw in more customers and expand this percentage.

Many people in Illinois have downloaded the William Hill app, but it appears that they are not using it as often as other sports betting apps. This is the best-case scenario.

Nevertheless, it is likely that certain Illinois residents opted to download William Hill because its competitors were not offering appealing sign-up promotions at that time.

What is the important news from Caesar? It does not involve a busy market in Illinois.

Currently, there are only six online casinos operating in Illinois, which is significantly lower than in other established markets. This presents a potential opportunity for new businesses to enter the market and capture a share of the industry.

Ultimately, it all comes down to physical membership. It is unlikely that this will have a major impact on Caesars’ Illinois operations as long as they remain open for business.

Bringing back online registration could definitely lead to growth opportunities for a Caesars sportsbook in Illinois.