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We’ve seen gambling giant William Hill make their first entry into the market in Colombia. This comes after the purchase of a majority of a key licensed operator. This is important for the company because it’s the first time they’ve operated in the Latin American market.
Colombia Newest Location for William Hill
The regulated market system that we currently have in the online gambling industry offers a lot of protections for players. However, because those markets are so segregated, it can make business deals pretty complicated. It’s not always as simple as getting licensed and running games or operating casinos in that market.
A lot of this comes down to there being a limited number of licenses granted. The fact that the specifics of the regulations can vary so much from country to country also contributes to this.
Due to these complications, certain types of business moves and strategies have to be employed. We’ve seen such a strategy from many operators and software developers. However, the easiest way is to simply buy an operator (or the majority of one) that is already licensed. That approach is exactly what we’re looking at with William Hill’s recent initial entry into the Latin American market.
WilliamHill.co Launched in Colombia
Alfabet SAS is a key operator in the regulated Colombian market. However, it’s recently been brought up that a majority of that company was actually purchased by William Hill back in December 2020. The purposes of that deal have now been made apparent with the launch of WilliamHill.co in that country.
The reason for this approach is simple: Alfabet SAS has their C-1611 license to operate Internet-based games. Coljuegos is the Colombian regulator for gambling that awards these licenses, and what’s great for William Hill is that it covers both sports betting as well as online casino games. This is a pretty big deal since they do have an online casino. However, they are still primarily known for their work in the sports betting arena.
Players from all over Colombia will be able to log in and play with WilliamHill.co now. This is a pretty cool launch, and it’s easy to see how it’s a part of a long-term strategy.
Business Strategy in the Modern Era
It’s pretty simple to see how this approach worked in terms of the short term. Just looking at the past six months, the purchase of the company to make use of the already existing license is a really straightforward way to go about things. Getting their specifically branded online casino and sportsbook there with WilliamHill.co is a pretty big deal too.
However, there’s more to the overall strategy than this. The whole idea is to get their games and available bets in front of as many players as possible. Accordingly, they need to get a foothold in as many regulated markets as they can. The Latin American markets have generally been under served by European-focused companies. That provides for a big opportunity like this one for those that make it happen.
Who Wins From This Scenario?
We’re pretty sure that everyone involved is happy with the outcome here. Alfabet SAS is going to be happy that they got a lot of money out of selling most of their company, and William Hill gets access to a lot of new players. That’s a win-win by itself.
However, we think that it’s the Colombian players that really get the most from this deal. As we mentioned above, Latin American markets don’t always have the biggest operators available. With a name like William Hill getting involved in the mix, it gives players something different. Moreover, it gives them access to play with a company that’s one of the most successful in the world.
Note that William Hill got to that position by being known for a particularly high quality of service. That is the service that these players are now able to get access to, which is obviously a good thing.