Touch Screen Roulette Machines Cause William Hill's 5% Improvement on Gross Win
On August 1st, 2008, regulatory questions on the controversial high paying slot machines has continued to hound the prospects of gaming organizations William Hill and Rank Group. UK's largest bookmaker, William Hill, posted a five percent rise in gross win, to 421 million pounds in their 2,250 betting shops for the first 6 months of the year. The biggest growth came from William Hill's 8,520 touch screen roulette machines, which improved their gross win by ten percent.
A study by the gambling commission found out that 1:9 wagering shop roulette players where identified as problem gamblers. Gerry Sutcliffe, the sports minister has petitioned the commission asking the regulators to prioritize a further study of the social effects of the roulette machines, although it is not yet expected to be delivered until next year. New rules allowing wagering shops to open until 9:30 p.m. helped William Hill improve their average weekly revenue contribution from roulette machines from 466 pound at the end of 2007 to 513 pounds.
The company feature a number of free wager promotions to entice players to utilize the roulette machines. The William Hill finance director Simon Lane commented that after adding on tax and royalties, William Hill's average roulette machine gross win was similar to the 673 pounds a week reported by rival Ladbrokes.
An analyst at Evolution Securities, Nigel Parson commented that the machines were the main factor in this growth but does the government regulate them enough to protect customers or does they imposed tax on the machines more to increase its treasury? Either result is not good for the industry.
August 24, 2008
Jeneth Grenville
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