William Hill Owner Evoke Receives a £225m Takeover Offer
by Roy Brindley,
22 April 2026
Evoke plc, owner of William Hill, 888 and Mr Green betting brands, has received a £225 million takeover bid from Bally’s Intralot.
The William Hill betting shop chain could have a new owner if a £225 million bid is accepted.
Key Facts:
- William Hill’s parent company, Evoke plc, in talks over £225 million takeover.
- Greek lottery and gambling operator Bally’s Intralot is behind the offer.
- City takeover rules mean a formal bid or withdrawal of interest must be declared by May 18.
- Pressures continue to mount on Evoke, with its casino Jackpot glitch likely to prove costly.
The share price of Evoke plc, owner of bookmaker William Hill, has risen sharply following whispers, media speculation, and then confirmation that the company is in takeover discussions with Greek lottery and gambling operator Bally’s Intralot.
Evoke, the London-listed gambling group that owns William Hill, confirmed it is evaluating a proposal that values the company at approximately £225 million, or 50 pence per share. The offer represents a premium of roughly 30% to its recent share price.
The discussions come as Evoke struggles with heavy debt – around £1.8 billion – and a steep decline in market value, with shares having fallen about 90% since its costly acquisition of William Hill’s non-US operations from Caesars Entertainment, Inc. in June 2022.
Shares, Cash or Both With May Bid Deadline
According to statements from Evoke, the potential transaction would likely take the form of an all-share merger with a partial cash alternative. However, the company cautioned that there is no certainty a firm offer will materialise or on what terms.
Under UK takeover rules, Bally’s Intralot, part of a broader consolidation in the global gaming industry, has until May 18 to either confirm a formal bid or withdraw its interest.
The group itself emerged from a series of transactions combining the US-based Bally’s Corporation with Greece’s Intralot, creating a multinational gambling and technology operator with operations across multiple markets.
A successful acquisition would expand Bally’s presence in the UK betting market, adding William Hill’s retail and online operations to its existing portfolio of casinos and digital brands, which generated €518 million in revenue in 2025.
The Pressures Keep Mounting Up
Evoke initiated a strategic review in late 2025 amid mounting financial and regulatory pressures. Recent increases in UK gambling taxes are expected to cost the company up to £135 million annually, further straining its finances.
The company, dealing with past regulatory fines and management upheaval, has also been restructuring its operations. 200 of its estimated 1,300 William Hill betting shops are currently in the process of being closed. It means 37 per cent of the 9,977 betting shops that were operational on UK streets in September 2017 have since closed.
What Next for Hill’s Casino Jackpot Winners?
Away from its brick-and-mortar business, the malfunctioning Jackpot Drop feature that blighted the William Hill online casino last month has generated abundant negative publicity for the brand.
Over the weekend, The Racing Post declared that more than 100 people could be involved in claims against William Hill over its “decision to void amounts running into the millions of pounds.”
At the start of April, the BBC reported a man who won £285,000 on a William Hill online casino game only to be told the payout was due to a technical glitch, and he had suffered a heart attack, which he blamed on incident-related stress.
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