William Hill becomes the fifth sportsbook operator to go live in the Commonwealth, and the timing couldn’t be any better – days away from the Super Bowl.
“Just in time for Sunday’s Game, our Virginia app will give football fans over 1,000 ways to bet this incredible matchup, from the opening coin toss to whether the game will be decided in overtime,” said Kenneth Fuchs, President of Digital for William Hill US.
Virginia is the 10th US jurisdiction for William Hill’s online sportsbook. The operator is familiar with the mid-Atlantic region, having previously launched a mobile and a temporary retail sportsbook at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics.
Despite being the only major operator in D.C., William Hill has pulled in underwhelming handle at its retail sportsbook. In December, handle was $12.4m, a 9.5% drop from November. William Hill’s mobile app didn’t go live until late in December, so the operator is banking that mobile play will improve figures.
However, the launch of Virginia’s sports betting market is sure to cannibalize D.C. sports betting, as many D.C. customers are residents of Virginia.
