William Hill’s long history for excellence is not dented in the slightest by the addition of eSports. Having conquered some of the most contentious legislations in the world, set up its land-based venues across the few legal islets around the world, and transferred itself into one of the most iconic figures English punters call by name, William Hill is now embarking on another journey – that of virtual sports.
Called electronic sports, the bookie has created a solid offer, albeit one that is still in its very infancy, Will Hill is determined to cover the segment, however tentatively.
- Easy to look up the eSports betting segments
- The most popular titles readily available
- A neat welcome bonus to use on the bookie
Will Hill will go down the annals of gambling history. The bookie has been the benchmark bearer of the entire industry, solving difference where companies have been at odds and establishing its own standards of excellence. Exceeding across the board, they are now bringing eSports into the focus of their activities, appealing to young demographics with plenty of disposable income and pushing the industry towards a better tomorrow. With their go-getter approach overseas, Will Hill could so be the world’s best-known bookie out there.
| Hits | Misses |
| One of the industry’s big names | The esports market needs a lot of work |
| An innovative platform that adds new segments | A bit promotions-starved overall |
| A reputation for credibility and trustiness | |
| Solid betting odds that outpace the competitors’ | |
| Reliable and recognisable brand |
Game Selection – Picking a Cherished Esports
Esports are still not a standalone affair at William Hill. The segment is lumped together with the rest of the sports out there but give it some time. Talks that eSports should be their own separate disciplines, i.e. sports, has been intensifying. And as such rumours swirl, the likes of Will Hill are pricking their ears. However, if you are looking for the quick rundown on how to access the list of available games, rest assured that you won’t have to group about at all.
‘Esports’ are there for the taking, under sports. That makes them easy to find, although a separate window would have been a wee bit better. Let’s not dot the i’s though. Navigation is easy and simple. Having once found your way to the eSports section, all that’s left is to see what the drop-down menu reveals.
All competitions are quickly sorted out for your comfort. Normally, you may expect mainstay events to be the focus of the bookie, and League of Legends constitutes a large part of it. The main reason behind is that the game offers arguably the largest betting market with over 120 million active players, and counting. It’s easy to see why William Hill have opted for one of the world’s most populous titles.
Passing up on other cornerstone titles, however, including CS:GO would be a waste and William Hill are firmly embedded in the segment. The bookmaker hasn’t begun covering the more exotic titles, including Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds but it’s rather likely to see them show up on the pages sooner rather than later.
If you click on the FIFA eWorld Cup, you will notice that the action there is rather limited and only the outright winners can be bet on. The game has a considerably smaller market, but William Hill has been trying to see if conversion between eSports and mainstream sports is possible. The reverse has been happening though, and a number of non-endemic (that is to say non-eSports-focused bookies) have been adopting electronic sports.
Naturally, match winners offer a bit more versatility, not to mention that all games that have the type of wager are also far more likely to come with a fair number of skirmishes and clashes month in and month out. William Hill has not stopped on the most grossing titles, though, and it has been dropping some of the all-time favourites.
Software – Making the Place Click
When having a look at the facilities around William Hill, it may all look rather down-to-earth. There are no unnecessary swanky elements, no unwarranted extravagance. The operator cuts down to the bone and makes sure that everything is easy to access. Even if the HTML tags may seem a bit dated, they are streamlined to provide you with the quickest response time a modern web portal can muster.
The layout is also accommodating and hardly a detail has been left snubbed. William Hill has aimed for an easy and intuitive display, even if the information may feel like an overload. Bookies thrive on furnishing up all the attic facts and spread them clean on the table for anyone’s perusal.
If you feel that there’s an information overload going on, though, you can easily focus on the segments that interest you exclusively. Dive right into sports and head out for the sub-categories as available by competition. This will significantly narrow down the list of betting-related essentials you have to deal with.
Meanwhile, a bet slip will always be comfortably in sight so that you can manage your ongoing wagers. The promotions around you are mostly for the non-eSports enthusiast, but we can’t give William Hill hard time over that, as the segment is fairly nascent. Besides, if you are a gamer, you will know how restrictive the wagering requirements can become and hence no bonus can be called an ally.
And so, gamers cherish their freedom and the operator doesn’t want to be treading on anyone’s feet in a bid to establish the best practices out there. Short of how things click together, security seems to be up to scratch. The SSL green padlock is visible and additional reassurance comes from the authorities that seem to be auditing the website. Oh, and if you aren’t of the legal gambling age, you won’t be allowed on the website.
High Roller – Shedding Pounds a Million a Go
If you want to see your bets turning a neat profit, you will have to untie your purse and commit boldly to the segment. Of course, Will Hill doesn’t exactly encourage you to shed cash at break-neck pace. Rather, more considerate play is allowed. High rolling is in its essence staking big money when you expect a specific outcome from a match. Of course, the sums that high rollers use are usually a few hundred pounds on a single match, which certainly means they are fairly better off.
Most eSports fans and aspiring pros usually just flick a few pounds on a single match, albeit most of you tend to one-up the bookie more often than not. Indeed, the industry is rather flabbergasted at the success rate eSports bettors have notched up, winning in the majority of the cases. Still, whilst William Hill will accept any high wagers, we advise you to make sure you are basing your call on sound judgement and not a spur-of-the-moment giddiness.
Bonuses – A Piece of the Pie for the Whole Lot
The bonus section is well-developed with William Hill. They won’t run the all bombastic promos and freebies you have been hoping for, but this is hardly necessary. Offering well-balanced odds is often enough to tempt the savvy punter, and hopefully you are one. Without going too much into the details, there are bookies that make a point of advertising separate matches, but they don’t necessarily offer eSports-exclusive treats. Your operator, though, is happy to entertain you in a more reserved way.
In fact, the bookie keeps quiet about bonuses in general, which have been falling foul of most regulators, with the UK Gambling Commission spearheading a rather strong campaign against the dubiously defined ads that promise immediate riches at little to no effort on the part of the customer. Feathers have been ruffled, but Will Hill has known better than embroil itself in that.
Welcome Bonus – Casting Spells and Firing Off Bullets
The welcome goodie does strike as the right thing to pick. You need only stake £10 and you will be credited three additional £10 free bets will be credit to your account. You will need to knock out a few quick provisos, such as:
- Stake at odds of ½ or higher
- A minimum stake of £10
- Clearing the bonus within 30 days
Mind that the free bets that you are credited will not be given back to your account. You only may retain the winnings of the aforementioned bets. Will Hill carries its advertisement lightly and it does like to keep things simple. Where some sports books want to burden you with £200 in bonus cash at gut-wrenching conditions, Will Hill is happy to take its chances by challenging you to a fair odds-crunching and the ability to read events well.
It’s what makes the bookie what it is today – a bastion of all wagering, and a potential trend-setter for the entire eSports betting industry, if it decides to go the full Monty on the segment.
Wagering Requirements – Live by the Rules
Will Hill has few promotions to begin with. But don’t take that as criticism. We are of the opinion that the fewer promotions there are, the better your chances of focusing on the betting process become. Not only that, but the promotions that exist are usually quite generous, and more importantly – easy to fulfil.
As we saw with the welcome offer, the conditions were quite the breeze to accomplish, and similar wagering requirements persist all across the other promotions. Sharing a link on Facebook or placing a few accumulators is all it takes for you to get rid of the pesky provisos and reap the rewards sooner than later. These betting prerequisites are truly quite pleasant at Will Hill.
Mobile Compatibility
Mobile compatibility must be the bread and butter of every serious bookie out there these days. Having your punters to flick wagers through their smartphones or tablets is in fact quite the way to win their affection. Sports betting on the go is possible at William Hill, and not only that, but the website will run smoothly from any browser and modern-day gizmo.
Care to supplement the experience with a dedicated piece of software? You may be interested in looking up the dedicated mobile app allowing you to benefit from the simplicity and neatness of the offer. Have somewhere to be, but don’t want to miss on a wager? Will Hill will have you fixed.
Contact Information
Every conceivable contact form will be available to you without any extra hassle. Need to drop live chat a quick missive? Do so by all means. Don’t worry about getting hold of the customer care agents at any time of the work week or weekend. If you want to place a call, you can place a call to 0800 121 6688. It’s worth paying attention to the country-specific numbers, though, all available in the Contact Us field at the bottom of the page.
Deposits and Withdrawals
The best way of keeping yourself apprised of what the most up-to-date banking solutions at William Hill are is for you to make a quick run through the facilities. Go to the Contact Us form at the very bottom of the page and that will bring out a search option. Type in ‘deposit,’ and a full list of the payment options will be available to you, including withdrawals.
All the usual suspects are there, including banking cards, e-wallets, and more exotic solutions, such as ECO, Qiwi Wallet, WebMoney, EPS, giropay and a dozen more. Most of these methods are also available as a withdrawal option, but some are exclusive to deposits.