William Hill shutters Mr Green's UK sportsbook from September
Irish and UK gaming customers unaffected by impending closures as operator moves to call time on UK sportsbook brand
The Mr Green sportsbook will close to UK customers with effect from 8 September, the William Hill subsidiary has confirmed.
The update was revealed in a Twitter post earlier this morning.
Mr Green Sportsbook will be closing on Thursday, 8th September.
For any questions, you can get in touch via Live Chat here – https://t.co/WVykFGqrkg pic.twitter.com/Zvz3rDWkgc
— Mr Green Sport (@MrGreenSport) August 17, 2022
According to the post, account holders will be able to access their account in a bet history capacity only from 6 September for a 48-hour period, with customers not able to place bets during this period.
Open bets due for settlement after 8 September will be honoured and paid after the respective event is concluded, and withdrawals and payment of winnings will be automatically credited to account holders.
The closure applies to the UK sportsbook only, with Mr Green Sport in Ireland unaffected and operating as usual. The Mr Green UK online casino business is also to continue operation.
It is understood the decision to close the sportsbook in the UK is reflective of a pivot to utilising William Hill as the lead UK sports betting brand.
However, this strategic pivot is thought to have been made in the period prior to the takeover of William Hill by new owners 888 and does not form part of that operator’s plans for the enlarged group business.
Last week, in 888’s Q2 2022 earnings call, the first since the £2bn deal’s completion, 888 CEO Itai Pazner dished the dirt on the plans for the overall group, which include making choices on which brands to use in which markets as well as investment plans for each brand.
Pazner suggested that a focus on sports betting would form a big part of the changes, with these changes expected to be completed by Q4 2022.
Speaking to EGR, 888 chief strategy officer Vaughan Lewis expanded on the rationale behind the review.
“We’re looking at where are the right positions to invest in our brands, where we can market them, and does it make sense to exit any of those brand positions,” he explained.
“That exercise is ongoing at the moment, but I think we’re making good progress on it,” Lewis added.