William Hill Pushes Social Gaming Regulation

William Hill CEO Ralph Topping argued in favour of regulating social gaming in the UK on his blog this week, admitting that his company is willing to overlook potential opportunities before a proper framework is put in place.

‘Social gaming already big’

“Social gaming is no longer the next big thing for gambling, it is already a very big thing,” Topping wrote on his blog. He added that over $1 billion has already been spent by traditional gambling companies in mergers and acquisitions alone, and that hundreds of millions in revenue are being generated.

Topping addressed William Hill’s notable lack of absence in the social gaming arena, saying that the company would like to see the industry regulated before becoming involved. Demonstrating his firm’s commitment to responsible gambling, he said it was not right that a child can buy chips to play an online slot “which is almost as good as anything you find on William Hill Online.”

Hill expands online gambling operations

William Hill Online has been expanding of late regardless of its social gaming stance, as it sees plenty more potential in the online betting and gaming arenas. This year it has acquired three Nevada sportsbooks, with an eye to positioning itself for the eventual introduction of legal online betting across the United States.

Through the William Hill-Playtech joint venture, Hill offers online casino, sports betting, poker and bingo and now mobile gaming services. All of these make it one of the biggest operators in the online gambling field, and a voice that should not be ignored when it comes to issues like social gaming.