William Hill to close 200 UK betting shops as Evoke’s challenges continue

The former 888 Holdings says the retail betting shops are no longer sustainable.

UK.- Evoke Plc’s William Hill, one of the UK’s most established bookmakers, is preparing to shut around 200 betting shops following an internal review. According to the Daily Star, all staff received an email announcing a virtual meeting at 9am this morning to break the news.

Of the approximately 1,300 William Hill shops in the UK, about 15 per cent are expected to close. A spokesperson for Evoke said: “Following a thorough review and further to increased cost pressures on the regulated sector including significant tax increases announced by the Government in last year’s Autumn Budget, from May we are closing a number of shops that are no longer sustainable.”

London-listed Evoke, formerly named 888 Holdings, had warned in January that closures were on the horizon. It’s largely blaming the rise in online gambling tax from tomorrow (April 1) for its decision despite retail betting being exempt from the tax hike.

The reality is that revenue from retail betting shops has been on the decline for some time. Gambling Commission figures show that gross gambling yield from retail bookmakers was down 7 per cent year-on-year to £549m between October and December 2025. Other major names, including Entain’s Ladbrokes and Flutter’s Paddy Power have also closed sites. Only Ireland’s BoyleSports appears to have bucked the trend by opening new shops in the past three years.

The situation casts doubt over the wisdom of Evoke’s decision to buy the brand in the first place. It bought William Hill’s non-US operations from Caesars for £2.2bn back in 2022, taking on significant debt to do so. In the last year, the group has pulled both William Hill and Evoke out of 13 international markets while its share price has fallen by over 28 per cent to 34.05p for a market cap of just over £150m.

Ironshield Capital Management, a firm specialising in distressed credit situations, has acquired a 6.07 per cent stake, while there has been speculation that Bally’s or Betfred might pursue a takeover. Evoke has also delayed publication of its full-year results until April 29 while it completes a strategic review launched in December.