William Hill Take Majority Stake in Colombian Operator

By Dave Sawyer, Last updated Jan 26, 2021

The British Bookmaker William Hill plc have taken a majority stake in the Colombian operator Alfabet S.A.S, as interest in the South American regulated market  continues to gather pace. William Hill who themselves are the subject of being acquired by Caesars Entertainment Inc, have joined the likes of software providers and operators who are keen to gain a foothold on the potentially lucrative market place for iGaming.

Alfabet S.A.S who were established in 2018 hold a licence from the Colombian regulator Coljuegos, which allows them to offer games of chance and sports betting in the country via their website BetAlfa. The acquisition of the majority stake in Alfabet S.A.S makes Colombia the ninth regulated market that William Hill operate in, continuing their commitment to grow their brand and reach.

In a news release published on their corporate website, William Hill stated: “The acquisition of Alfabet S.A.S further supports William Hill’s strategy to deliver growth through international expansion and diversity, and makes Colombia the ninth regulated market where William Hill is currently active.”

“Colombia, the first Latin American country to establish a European-style licensing system, has been very progressive with their gambling regulations over the last few years, and industry analysts believe there is strong growth potential within the regulated gambling market in the country.”

This was added to by the William Hill Chief Executive Officer Ulrik Bengtsson, who said: “We are delighted to announce our acquisition of a majority share in Alfabet S.A.S, and with it, our first entry into a regulated Latin American state.”

“The Colombian regulated market is a role model for the Latin American gambling sector, and we are excited by this opportunity to deliver a very competitive product and safe player experience under the William Hill brand  in the country.”

Whilst William Hill are a major staple of the high street in towns up and down the country in the UK, their online offering has in the past come in for criticism from members of the forum here on Casinomeister.

Indeed this is succinctly summed up in our review of William Hill casino, where we state: “Big is not always better – but players seem to find them ok. If you run into an issue here, you may not get much of a one-on-one experience. Their customer support can be a mess. But other than that, they seem to be alright.”

Dave Sawyer @Casinomeister

Dave has been involved in the Online Gambling industry for 20 odd years now. With experience working for an operator based in Gibraltar, where he headed up the IT team at Ladbrokes, to running his own iGaming affiliate websites until 2019.

Dave now writes for Casinomeister and sister site Casino Gazette. You may also see him on the forum from time to time, where he goes by the handle Webzcas.