William Hill’s CEO Ready to Bid Farewell After Three Years

While waiting to be acquired by 888 giant, William Hill is also getting ready to bid farewell to its current chief executive officer. Ulrik Bengtsson announced he would be on his way as soon as the much-anticipated 888 purchase will come to an end. In mid-June, William Hill added Slot Factory’s games to its offers. In May, the brand partnered with GiG Sportsbook in the Latvian Market. 

A Four-Year Journey Coming to an End 

Bengtsson joined William Hill in 2018 as a chief digital officer and he also gained membership in the Group Executive, where he led the important acquisition of Mr. Green. In September 2019, he was appointed chief executive officer. From his CEO position, Bengtsson helped turn William Hill into a global, digitally-led brand, driving important digital and technological investments and improving the safety of players and the company’s products. 

He also modernized the company’s retail estate while changing its focus and helping it expand its foothold on American soil as well as in the continental part of Europe. After recording impressive growth in terms of market share, Willian Hill was purchased by Caesars Entertainment in 2021. 

Previously, Bengtsson was Raketech Group’s non-executive chairman and chief executive, and president of Betsson Group. There, he worked on creating growth strategies that helped the company more than double its revenue. Bengtsson also spent some time with Magnus Silfverberg before departing at the beginning of 2016. He was also Viasat Broadcasting Sweden’s chief executive officer and took the same position for Modern Times Group, a pay-TV company. 

July 1 Is in the Books

Once 888 Holdings will finish the £1.95 billion ($2.34 billion) acquisition of William Hill’s business that is not based in the US, Bengtsson will officially step down from his role. According to the deal, 888 will purchase William Hill’s UK-based shops and businesses along with the Mr Green brand in Europe. The acquisition is expected to finalize on July 1. 

Bengtsson said he was ready to bid goodbye to the company and hand his responsibilities over to Itai Pazner, 888 Holdings’ current chief executive officer. Bengtsson added that he was proud of his achievements in the past four years together with the group, emphasizing that William Hill’s results convinced 888 Holdings to “see the massive benefit of acquiring” the company. 

Pazner praised Bengtsson’s ability to build “such a strong team” while expressing excitement about mixing the two businesses and taking advantage of the resulting opportunities.