William Hill CEO Speaks Out on How Coronavirus is Affecting Sportsbooks
William Hill’s CEO of the North American Market, Joe Asher, is hopeful the crisis being felt as a result of Coronavirus shall come to pass. When asked about its impact on the sportsbook industry, Asher noted things have deteriorated to the point that he’s had to give up his salary to help over 600 furloughed employees.
“This too shall pass,” Asher told the USA Today recently.
William Hill furloughed over 600 employees after all land-based casinos and sportsbooks were shut down in the heat of the pandemic early April. But being a caring CEO, Asher took a 100% salary cut and gave it to everyone affected by the retrenchment.
“I didn’t feel right continuing to get a paycheck when so many of my colleagues are out of work,” Asher said. “I decided to set up William Hill USA Foundation and donate my salary to it.”
“Never Seen Anything Like This.”
Asher says the Coronavirus pandemic is the worst crisis he’s witnessed in his many years as an executive in Las Vegas. Compared to the financial crisis of 2007/08, the executive officer said COVID-19 was worse for Sin City in part due to the public safety issue.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. This is different,” Asher said. “The financial crisis was really hard in Las Vegas, but you didn’t have the overlay of a public health crisis on top of it.”
The Las Vegas-based executive even compared COVID-19 to 911. Although he acknowledged the terrorist attack was devastating, Asher believes Coronavirus is posing a bigger, different kind of risk.
“I was in New York City on September 11 and knew quite a few people who died that day in the World Trade Center. This is different from that,” Asher revealed. “This is on a different scale, because you have both the business crisis and the public health crisis.
There’s Hope for Sports Betting
If William Hill CEO’s words are to go by, it won’t take long before punters have access to sports betting once again. However, Asher maintains it will be difficult for sports to record the sort of figures they did in the past few years immediately.
“I don’t think there’s any long-lasting impact from this,” the William Hill US CEO said.
Again, he reminded sports bettors that the British brand he leads had survived worse situations, from the depression era to World War II.
“William Hill has been in business 86 years and survived the bombing in World War II and everything that’s happened since,” Asher noted. “We’ll get through this, but it’s hard.”
Indeed, William Hill is doing everything possible to get through the pandemic. In fact, it’s been accused of overworking in its attempt to give bettors something to predict.
- Esports
The growing field of competitive video gaming is hardly affected by Coronavirus. Most leagues are taking place online. What’s more, their fans converge online, meaning that not even the finances are hit.
Against that backdrop, you can bet on multiple video game competitions on William Hill. Sports fans will probably be drawn to simulation games like FIFA 20, NBA 2K or F1 2020. Alternatively, they can wager on the biggest video games online: Fortnite, League of Legends, CS: GO and Dota 2, to name a few.
- Remote Sports Leagues
As the wave of Coronavirus slows down, some countries are beginning to allow sports action. In the US,0 the UFC is back to action. In South Korea and Germany, football is back. Some countries like Belarus never cancelled sports.
So, if you bet on sports strictly, there’s a limited number of games you can predict. Of course, beware you might not access detailed information in all cases. But you’ll at least have a way to predict sports games.
- Casino Games
William Hill undoubtedly built its brand through sports betting, but that’s not only what it offers. It has a casino section through which you can play video slots, poker, blackjack and bingo. You can also cherish roulette, baccarat and scratch card games.
Crucially, you can play these games on both desktop and mobile devices. Again, you only need one account, no matter how many devices you own. Find more information and great offers here. Also, discover the rise of William Hill and how it became such a reputable iGaming brand.
- Virtual Games
Virtual games are based on Random Number Generator (RNG) software and simulate everyday sports like football, rugby, cricket and hockey. Usually, you pick two teams and make a prediction.
Then you hit play and a computer program simulates the match for a couple of minutes. With RNG software in charge, the outcome of every game is based on pure luck. You could predict Manchester City to beat Hull City. But since it’s a luck-based game, Hull could edge out the citizens 5-1.
Bonuses and Loyalty Programs
In addition to offering a massive range of betting markets, William Hill is also providing relief to punters in the form of free bets and bonuses. The former is mostly a reserve for new customers.
You can receive up to £300 as a bonus but only if you deposit a similar amount. If you want more, visit the VIP section and claim a 100% bonus of up to £1000. On the other side, you can grab a free bet worth £10 if you’re after betting on sports.
Loyal customers continue to receive bonuses weekly and monthly. Sometimes it could be a free bet on money when you fund your account. At other times, you could participate in competitions to win cash prizes.
To Conclude
William Hill, through its North American CEO, Joe Asher, says the Coronavirus is the worst thing to have hit the betting industry. But like World War II, 911 and the financial crisis, it shall come to pass.
In the meantime, the sportsbook is doing everything it can to ensure people have something to predict. They could try virtual games, eSports, available sports or casino games. As an extra reward, the bookmaker has bonuses to welcome both regular and VIP players.