William Hill UK Review - Is It Safe or a Scam? (2024)
William Hill is one of the oldest and most trusted bookies in the UK, with a sportsbook that includes a huge array of sports and markets to choose from. Combined with a nice live streaming service, as well as beneficial promotions, the betting brand has attracted many punters over the years. In this review, we take a look at all the pros and cons of William Hill.
William Hill offers
William Hill Overall Score
| Bonus | 9 |
|---|---|
| Sportsbook | 9 |
| Casino | 9 |
| Customer Support | 9 |
| Payment | 9 |
| Licensing Safety | 9 |
| Design and Usability | 9 |
| Overall | 9 |
William Hill is one of the oldest bookmakers in the UK, thus well established among punters, and this popularity is certainly justified. The sportsbook offered on the site is very comprehensive and the welcome offer is also a good one, giving new customers a great start to their Willam Hill adventure. The popular sports are well covered, as you would expect, but even the fans of smaller sports will be happy here.
In addition to the impressive sportsbook, customers at William Hill will also have a plethora of payment methods to choose between and this is indeed a huge advantage. The promotions are not too shabby either, keeping the customers in question engaged and well-rewarded. Those who are on the fence about signing up, therefore, should not have to think twice given the high standard of William Hill.
About William Hill
William Hill is one of the oldest and most trusted bookmakers in the industry, first launching back in 1934. The brand's growth has been exponential and it is now considered one of the heavyweights in the UK. In fact, it has been ranked by us as one of the top ten betting sites, offering a fantastic overall product to punters.
In 2022, 888 Holdings completed a takeover of William Hill and the site has gone from strength to strength since. Other betting brands under the same umbrella include 888sport and Mr Green, with the latter being acquired by William Hill in 2019. In addition to the online product, William Hill also has over 1,000 betting shops in the UK and this has naturally helped increase the visibility.
Just like many other betting sites, especially the big ones, William Hill has also made use of sponsorships to attract new customers. They have been the official betting partner of the football clubs Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur in the past, as well as the big horse racing event the Grand National. And these are just a few examples, with William Hill clearly keen on leveraging some strong brands out there.
In this review, we will take a deeper look at everything you need to know about William Hill, from the promotions to the sports markets offered.
Is William Hill Safe?
Over the years, with many of them in the industry for William Hill, the brand has earned a respectable reputation among UK punters and is considered to be one of the safest betting options out there.
Word of mouth aside, though, William Hill is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission in the UK. This means that it follows a certain set of standards and rules, aimed at making the betting experience better for pundits. In short, William Hill is definitely to be considered a safe betting site, with much better practices than some of the new betting sites out there.
However, it should be noted that William Hill agreed to a whopping £12.5m settlement after a dispute with the Gambling Commission back in 2023, with the latter even considering suspending the license. "When we launched this investigation the failings we uncovered were so widespread and alarming serious consideration was given to licence suspension," Andrew Rhodes, the Gambling Commission chief executive said.
The dispute was rooted in anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures, but William Hill immediately recognised its wrongdoing and worked with the Gambling Commission to solve the issues.
On Trustpilot, William Hill has a rather poor rating of 1.7 out of five stars. Most of the customers are complaining about the difficulty of winning in the casino section, with others highlighting poor customer service and slow withdrawals. It is not unusual, unfortunately, for betting sites to have poor ratings but this is still worth noting.
William Hill Welcome Offer
Welcome offers are very important for betting sites in the UK, though brands like William Hill are not as reliant on just that to get new customers. Nevertheless, the brand has made sure to check this box as well, with a bet £10 get £30 deal in place. This is a very standard offer but there is one caveat to note, with new customers needing to register on mobile or tablet to claim the offer.
Upon registration at William Hill, new customers need to enter the promo code 'R30' and then deposit at least £10 into their accounts. This money needs to be staked on any sportsbook market, excluding the virtual ones, and at a minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). The bonus will be credited to your account as 3x£10 free bets once the qualifying bet has settled.
It should also be noted that those using the following deposit methods will not qualify for the welcome offer: PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Nuvei Apple Pay, Kalibra/Postpay or William Hill PLUS Card. Overall, it must be said that William Hill's welcome offer is a good one, but if you are not convinced you can check out our complete list of welcome offers.
William Hill Promotions
William Hill has received some criticism from loyal customers for removing some of the promotions in the last few years, with the Scratch of the Day being one and the Acca Insurance being another. However, there are still plenty (or at least a decent amount) of promotions for both new and existing customers to make use of on the site.
For sports betting, William Hill has certainly shifted its focus to enchanted odds of various sports. Almost all of the promotions, in fact, involve enhanced odds in one way or another. One of the more popular ones is the William Hill Bet Boost, which allows punters to boost their odds three times a day (1x football acca bet, 1x football bet builder and 1x horse racing bet). The maximum stake is £20 for these, with 3+ selections needed for the first two.
There is also another promotion called Epic Boost, which punters can claim once a week for football, NBA and NFL. It can only be used for bet builder bets, with 3+ selections at a minimum odds of 3/1 needed, and the maximum stake is £5. This is one of the reasons why William Hill's bet builder ended up in second place in our bet builder top 10 list.
The % of the boost is not specified for the Bet Boost or the Epic Boost, but they are still two nice promotions. William Hill also regularly boosts the odds of big events, which has become more and more common among betting sites, and there are more promotions to discover on the site. However, we would have liked to see a loyalty program of some sort as well.
William Hill Deposit
Compared to other UK betting sites, William Hill deserves a lot of praise for the payment methods offered on the site. Debit cards can be used, of course, and customers also have a great selection of e-wallets such as the popular PayPal, though some might want to opt for Skrill or Neteller.
Instant Banking - a service offered by TrueLayer - is also available and this is great for withdrawals, which we will come onto. Below we have listed all of the deposit methods that you can use at William Hill:
| Payment Method | Minimum Deposit | Maximum Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Debit Cards (MasterCard, Visa, Maestro) | £5 | £99,000 |
| PayPal | £10 | £5,000 |
| Skrill | £10 | £80,000 |
| Neteller | £10 | £25,000 |
| Payz | £10 | £8,400 |
| Apple Pay | £5 | £99,000 |
| Paysafecard | £10 | £200 |
| TrueLayer (Instant Banking) | £5 | £99,000 |
How to Deposit at William Hill
If you are unsure about to deposit funds into your William Hill account, you can follow our step-by-step guide:
- Make sure you are logged into your William Hill account
- Tap on 'Deposit' in the top right corner
- Choose your preferred payment and enter the relevant details
- Enter the amount you would like to deposit
- Tap on 'Deposit' to complete the process
William Hill Withdrawal
Just like with the deposit methods, customers at William Hill have a good selection of methods for the withdrawals and the processing time is what you would expect. Debit cards will take a bit longer, as is the case with any UK bookmaker, but e-wallets offer same-day delivery for those who prioritise fast withdrawals.
Speaking of, William Hill is indeed the right place for punters who prefer sites with fast withdrawals, as Instant Banking via TrueLayer is available. This means that customers can have the funds in their bank accounts within just minutes! This method is by far the fastest in the UK, and below are all the details regarding the withdrawal methods:
| Payment Method | Min/Max Withdrawal | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Debit Cards (MasterCard, Visa, Maestro) | £5/Not specified | 1-3 business days |
| PayPal | £10/£5,500 | Same day |
| Skrill | £5/80,000 | Same day |
| Neteller | £5/£25,000 | Same day |
| Payz | £5/£300,000 | Same day |
| Bank Transfer | £25/£100,000 | 3-5 business days |
| TrueLayer (Instant Banking) | £5/£33,000 | Within minutes |
How to Withdraw From William Hill
If you are unsure about how to withdraw funds from William Hill, you can follow our step-by-step:
- Make sure that you are logged into your William Hill account
- Tap on 'My Account' in the top right corner and then tap on 'Withdraw'
- Enter the amount you would like to withdraw and then tap on 'Continue'
- Choose your preferred payment method and complete the process
How to Verify an Account at William Hill
As with any other UK bookmaker, William Hill has a Know Your Customer (KYC) process in place to comply with the Gambling Commission regulations. This means that William Hill has to confirm the identity of each customer, which is often done automatically with the details provided in the registration. However, sometimes customers may be asked to upload the following:
- Proof of ID: Passport, Driver's Licence or National ID.
- Proof of Address: Bank/Credit Statement or a Utility Bill
It is very important to comply with this process, as William Hill could close the account if you do not. And taking care of this at the start will prevent any future problems from emerging, in most cases anyway. Customers can upload these documents either via the 'Document Uploader' or via the William Hill Live Chat.
William Hill Sportsbook
Given just how popular and well-established William Hill is, punters are only right to expect a comprehensive sportsbook with a great selection of markets. Fortunately for William Hill, this is exactly what new customers get when they sign up on the site, certainly up there among the best sportsbooks in the UK.
There are over 30 sports to pick from and although football as well as horse racing are the two most popular sports offered, those who are fans of smaller sports will not be disappointed. It is perhaps not considered a small sport in the UK, but William Hill was nevertheless named among the top five bookmakers for snooker in our test. Some of the popular sports on William Hill include:
- Football
- Horse racing
- Tennis
- NFL
- Golf
As football is often a good way to determine the depth of markets, and with William Hill included in our top 10 list for the sport, let's take a look. Over 700 markets are typically offered for big events, such as a Premier League game, and this is indeed very good. William Hill also has a bet builder feature that can be used for most sports, though football punters are the hefty users.
William Hill also typically offers over 250 markets for an NFL game, so it is not just the England-centric competitions that are well covered. Horse racing punters will also find a very comprehensive section for the sport of kings, including many markets and live streaming of the events. This is also why it ended up on the podium for horse racing betting in our ranking, as well as for greyhound betting.
Overall, William Hill is a great option for those who want to stick with one bookie and not sign up for a bunch of different ones. The design leaves a bit to be desired at times, it should be said, but that is the case for many of the UK bookmakers. And after all, the core features are what matter in the end, so William Hill is indeed a great bookie.
| Football Markets (Premier League Game) | 600-850 |
|---|---|
| Betting Margins (Average) | 7.25% |
| Horse Racing Coverage (Countries) | UK & Ireland + International |
William Hill Live Betting and Streaming
William Hill is famous for its live betting platform. All live sports are in the 'live in-play' betting tab, and you can view them by sport, all together in one long list or by their schedule. In the match centre, William Hill offers a very nice infographic for almost all events and there are also some stats that punters can take a look at.
As for live streaming of sports, not many bookmakers offer this for free but thankfully, William Hill is one of the few. To access the streaming you need to log in and be an active user of their site. To see which games have live streaming, you can see a yellow screen button to the right of the in-play game.
William Hill Mobile App
There is an app for William Hill customers to download, available for both iOS and Android, though existing customers probably already have this installed. Betting on the phone has really become the standard these days, with punters preferring the flexibility of being able to bet on the go. And William Hill has made sure to deliver on that front.
In fact, the app boasts great reviews with a rating of 4.7 and 4.3 out of five stars on the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. This makes it one of the best betting apps in the industry, and it is certainly a big reason to sign up on William Hill. As for the design, it is more or less the same as the mobile website and this makes for a pleasant browsing experience on the go as well.
As we mention in the 'William Hill Welcome Offer' section, the brand has clearly prioritised its mobile platforms by making the welcome offer an app exclusive. This means that new customers who sign up will likely be downloading the app first thing, and they will clearly not be disappointed based on the great reviews.
William Hill Responsible Gambling
Given that William Hill was slapped with the biggest fine in the Gambling Commission's history, partly due to social responsibility failures, potential new customers will be wondering about responsible gambling at William Hill. Thankfully, it seems the brand has improved its practices, at least from the outside looking in as there are many tools in place. Some of them are:
- Deposit limits (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Product blocking
- Session time reminders
- Timeouts and Self-exclusion
New customers, as well as existing ones, are encouraged to set deposit limits as these are a great way to stay within comfortable spending. They will not always help, though, so the other tools are also very important for UK punters. Since the fine, William Hill has surely improved when it comes to contacting vulnerable punters as well, ensuring that egregious amounts are not spent.
In addition to these tools, there is also a page dedicated to 'Safer Gambling' which customers can browse, and those who are struggling are advised to contact William Hill immediately.
William Hill Customer Support
William Hill has tightened up their customer support over the last few years and when tapping on the 'Contact Us' tab, customers are redirected to the live chat option. Here, they will be able to reach an agent within minutes - as our testing showed - and those who want can also contact support on X (formerly known as Twitter) at 'WillHillHelp'
You can also contact them by telephone and e-mail, though we found it a bit difficult to find the details for these contact options on the website. The X account states that customer support is available from 08:00 to 23:00 and it is unclear whether this entails the live chat as well. However, since there is no mention of this on the site, we can only assume that the live chat is indeed available 24/7.
In addition to this, there is a very comprehensive FAQ page on the site so most of the customers will find the answers to their questions there, without the need for a live agent.
| Chat | Yes |
|---|---|
| customerhelp@williamhill.co.uk | |
| Phone | 08705 181715 |
| Opening hours | 7 Days a week, 24/7 |
How to Sign Up at William Hill
If you are interested in creating an account on William Hill, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to do so:
Step 1: Head Over to Williamhill.com and Tap on ‘Join'
You can get to the site by using our sign-up link at the top of this site, which will also bring you straight to the welcome offer. Once there, you just have to tap on 'Join' to get the process started.
Step 2: Enter Your Personal Details
In the first step of the registration, you will be asked to fill in your personal details such as date of birth and current address. Once you have done all of this, you need to tap on 'Continue'.
Step 3: Pick Your Account Details
In the second and final step of the registration, you will be asked to pick a username for your account, along with a few other details. You will also have the opportunity to set deposit limits here, as well as opt in/out of marketing messages.
Step 4: Tap on ‘Agree and Join’ to Complete the Process
Once you have tapped on 'Agree and Join', you will be able to start betting at William Hill. However, the site may also ask for additional documents to confirm your identity, so make sure to comply with that process first.
User Reviews
Mohammed
October 10, 2019
Quite unpleasant site but good odds
Sia
October 3, 2019
Works as expected nothing funyy
Shamrock
August 30, 2019
Solid all around
Jake
August 26, 2019
Been using Will Hill for years and I love it Shame my local is closing down but the app is working well since I got it.
Chris87
August 6, 2019
Tempting free bet but need to use a little more to know how it actually works
Dale
April 23, 2019
Just took my money -.-
William
April 15, 2019
Never heard of before so far so good after a few visits
Sophie
April 2, 2019
OK
Ricky
January 8, 2019
Had some trouble withdrawing money and the support is not very helpful. Not sure if I gonna play on williamhill again