Does William Hill offer sports betting in New Zealand - Review

Established in the UK back in 1934, William Hill has long been regarded as a prominent figure in the world of bookmaking. In the online sphere, William Hill had been serving the New Zealand market for close to two decades, operating under its jurisdiction in Gibraltar. It has done this in a fully legal manner, as customers in New Zealand are legally allowed to play at offshore gambling sites. However, as of August 2025, upon regulatory developments surrounding online casinos in New Zealand, William Hill shuttered its sportsbook to New Zealanders.

So, no. William Hill no longer offers sports betting to Kiwis. Their parent company, which also owns the 888 brands will look to enter the eventual regulated casino-only market in New Zealand. The cost of doing this, is shutting the less profitable sportsbook to New Zealanders. It's why so many large gaming companies have now shut their offshore sportsbook to Kiwis, though some remain open, which we discuss

Does William Hill have New Zealand Dollar accounts?

No, William Hill would force customers based in New Zealand to select and play using an account based in another currency, like USD, EUR, GBP or even AUD among others.  This would unfortunately require costly currency exchange fees on every deposit and withdrawal.  This is unnecessary since all the top betting brands that we recommend for Kiwis all offer direct NZD betting accounts, so you may avoid FX charges.

Recent changes at William Hill

Recently, however, William Hill underwent changes in ownership. Initially sold and then resold, the company has seen shifts in its structure. As both a bookmaking and iGaming entity, William Hill boasted a diverse portfolio. This included a multitude of retail bookmakers across the UK, a presence in the US market, and a varied international iGaming segment facilitated through WilliamHill.com. With the surge in online betting activity in the US, William Hill became an attractive target for US-based casino companies seeking to bolster their sportsbook offerings online.

Consequently, in September 2020, Caesars Entertainment entered into an agreement to acquire the entire William Hill company for a staggering $3.7 billion. However, Caesars' interest primarily lay in the US operations of William Hill. Just a year following the acquisition, Caesars opted to divest the non-US assets of William Hill, reaching a deal with 888 Holdings for $3 billion.

William Hill odds margins - the situation before closure

When it came to the primary betting markets across various sports, William Hill consistently strived to offer competitive odds margins. While they may not always have had the lowest margins, they were certainly competitive. A good indicator of this is seen in popular NBA point spread or over/under betting markets, where identical odds on both potential outcomes typically appear as 1.91/1.91. This reflects an odds margin just below 5%, which is considered solidly competitive in the industry.

Similar competitive margins were maintained for other main betting markets within key sports. As expected from a bookmaker with UK origins, odds margins remain competitive for sports popular in New Zealand as well. In sports like cricket and rugby, margins often hover around the same rate as observed for North American sports. For 1X2 football markets, margins can range from 5% to 7% more than 24 hours before the match, with the possibility of tightening and becoming more competitive closer to kickoff.

William Hill international sports coverage

When it comes to football, William Hill offered extensive coverage. They provided over 700 betting markets for any top-level match. Given their UK heritage, William Hill's coverage of cricket, rugby, boxing, Formula 1, and MMA was also extensive, offering a wide range of markets and live betting options.

William Hill coverage of North American sports

William Hill provided an extensive range of betting markets for NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB games, offering anywhere from 150 to over 200 markets per game. Additionally, they offered a wide array of futures bets, surpassing many other providers. While some sites only offered basic outright winner markets, William Hill provides a broader selection, including Conference and Division outright winners at various points throughout each respective season.

Did William Hill have an early cash out feature?

Indeed, William Hill refered to this feature as "Cash in my bet" or simply "Cash in". It allowed you to secure a partial win before the conclusion of your event. 

Did William Hill cover esports?

Yes, William Hill offered esports betting coverage, but how did it compare to the top esports betting sites in New Zealand? It was decent, but not the best. Their coverage extended to a wide array of events within popular esports titles such as LoL, CS:GO, Dota 2, Valorant, and SC2. However, their scope could be limited beyond these mainstream games.

In terms of available betting markets for the events they covered, William Hill's offerings might have disappointed some enthusiasts. Often, they only provided match winner markets, lacking the variety found on some other platforms. Additionally, their odds margins typically ranged from 7% to 8%, which was not exceptional but still better compared to many other esports betting sites where margins could exceed 10%.

Overall, while William Hill's esports coverage was respectable, there was room for improvement in terms of market variety and odds margins to match the standards set by the top esports betting sites for New Zealand.

Does William Hill offer other kinds of games?

They do offer "Casino", "Live Casino", "Vegas", "Poker" and "Bingo" gaming verticals to those customers that it will currently serve, including those in New Zealand. 

William Hill New Zealand summary

William hill is a historical gaming brand out of the UK that may still serve Kiwis for other gaming verticals, but they no longer offer sports betting to New Zealand-based players as of August 2025.