William Hill Australia to boost promo spend by $58 million

WILLIAM Hill has made a statement of intent for the year ahead, announcing a $58 million spending boost on advertising and promotions in Australia.

The British bookmaker has improved its position steadily since entering the market in 2015, when it absorbed the Centrebet, Sportingbet and TomWaterhouse.com brands.

In a full yearly report released last week, Hills said it would step things up a notch in what is an “intensely competitive” Australian marketplace.

“In Australia, recent improvement in performance has given us the confidence to consolidate our position as a challenger brand with more marketing investment,” read the report.

“This will increase our marketing to net revenue in Australia from 26 percent in 2016 to 28 percent in 2017.

“This investment will be supported by a continued pipeline of product innovations, in which we benefit from owning our technology platform and being able to release new products faster than competitors.”

William Hill’s promotional presence took a big hit earlier this year when it lost court-side advertising privileges at the Australian Open.

The event’s organisers were spooked by the recent outbreak of match-fixing allegations in professional tennis.

Nevertheless, Hills claims to have enjoyed a big boost in revenue share and new sign-ups as a result of its affiliation with the AO.

“New accounts have increased strongly, up 19 percent, and recognition of the William Hill brand is much higher following effective advertising campaigns and our unique betting partnership with the Australian Open,” the report said.

Mobile betting is key for William Hill, with smartphone and tablet activity representing around 85 per cent of the company’s Australian business.

The bookie has also relaunched Centrebet in a bid to attract “serious” punters who have been cut off by rival online bookmakers.