William Hill CEO Warns of Over Regulation

By Simon Wright, Last updated Jan 27, 2021

The Chief Executive Officer of William Hill Philip Bowcock has raised concerns that over regulation of the iGaming industry in the UK will drive players to operators based in unregulated markets.

Bowcock raised his concerns over the weekend, after a week that has seen William Hill enter a consultation stage over plans to close 700 shops, which Casinomeister News reported on last week. The planned closures has been blamed on the reduction of the maximum stake allowed on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.

William Hill and other bookmakers are now concerned that the regulator for the UK, the Gambling Commission, will now set their sights on online gambling. Already revisions to the LCCP ( Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice ), which require age verification and identity checks performed when a player signs up, have been a cause for concern. Specifically in regards to free play casino games.  Which now require a suitable age verification system in place, prior to a visitor to a gambling site is able to access them.

Bowcock speaking to the Mail on Sunday said: “We are engaged in a continual process of strengthening our processes and evolving our approach to safer gambling. Regulation is a good thing but the balance that has to be struck is between keeping people in a safe environment and driving them to offshore and unregulated environments – a very real risk if restrictions are too draconian.”

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