William Hill Aims to Jockey into First Position

17 May 2005

UK -- As reported by the (UK) Times: "William Hill entered the final straight in the race to overtake Ladbrokes as Britain's biggest bookmaker yesterday after unveiling an agreed £504 million deal to buy Stanley Leisure's betting shops.

"The deal will leave Coral Eurobet languishing in third place, although Vaughan Ashdown, Coral's chief executive, refused to rule out a counterbid last night. "We will make our intentions clear when we feel it necessary," he said.

"...The deal has forced William Hill to cancel plans to return £453 million to shareholders. But David Harding, the chief executive, said that he expected the enlarged group to generate surplus cash again in the future.

"...William Hill, which is acquiring 624 shops in the UK and the Irish Republic, plans to rebrand the entire Stanleybet estate as part of a £30 million programme over three years..."

Language: Any Language Location: Currency: > edit my preferences Home Online Slots Live Dealer Games Online Casinos Online Poker Online Bingo Games Lotteries Sports & Racebooks Fantasy Sports Forex Betting Exchanges Spread Betting Binary Options Exclusive Bonuses Weekly Newsletter Online Gaming News Payment Methods Gaming Software Gaming Site Owners Gaming Jurisdictions		Bonuses! New games! Gossip! And all the player news you can handle. Sign up NOW! View the current issue
	William Hill Aims to Jockey into First Position 17 May 2005 UK -- As reported by the (UK) Times: "William Hill entered the final straight in the race to overtake Ladbrokes as Britain's biggest bookmaker yesterday after unveiling an agreed £504 million deal to buy Stanley Leisure's betting shops. "The deal will leave Coral Eurobet languishing in third place, although Vaughan Ashdown, Coral's chief executive, refused to rule out a counterbid last night. "We will make our intentions clear when we feel it necessary," he said. "...The deal has forced William Hill to cancel plans to return £453 million to shareholders. But David Harding, the chief executive, said that he expected the enlarged group to generate surplus cash again in the future. "...William Hill, which is acquiring 624 shops in the UK and the Irish Republic, plans to rebrand the entire Stanleybet estate as part of a £30 million programme over three years..."