The company is said to be in negotiations with Stanley Leisure over the acquisition of its estate of 600 betting shops.
If successful, the deal would see William Hill overtake Ladbrokes to become Britain’s biggest high street bookmaker.
However, William Hill may encounter regulatory concerns as it will then control almost a quarter of the UK\’s 8,500 bookies. Ladbrokes\’ bid to buy Coral was blocked on competition grounds a few years ago.
William Hill declined to comment, but last month at the presentation of the 2004 results, the company\’s Chief Executive David Harding said: “Our first priority would be to buy more betting shops. I think we could buy another 600.”
Industry sources believe Coral Eurobet, Britain’s third-biggest bookie, and the Tote, the state-owned pool betting operator, are likely to be interested in the deal as well.
Stanley could demand as much as £700m for the sale of its betting division. If the dea is confirmed, it would fuel speculation that the company is to consolidate its casino business through a merger with London Clubs International.
Calculators
