Tennessee Welcomes William Hill Into Its Mobile Sportsbook Lineup

• William Hill becomes the Volunteer State’s sixth sportsbook joining an impressive list
• Tennessee’s “online-only” option still must prove its mettle among high tax & high hold
• WH operates in 12 US jurisdictions plus well-known internationally for excellent service

William Hill made its debut last week at a great time, just as the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament gets underway this week. Only it wasn’t exactly planned that way as the major sportsbook operator planned to launch in February.

The Christmas morning recreational vehicle explosion in downtown Nashville damaged the city’s infrastructure and delayed the planned launch when William Hill hoped to debut for the Super Bowl. In the gaming business, perhaps good things happen to those who wait.

WH joins a small but impressive group of operators that work solely online for customers reach within the state including DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Action 24/7.

Kenneth Fuchs, William Hill US President of Digital added these comments on the Tennessee launch:

As we head into one of the most exciting times of the year for sports fans, the William Hill app will make March moments even more interesting for Tennessee bettors. We will have thousands of markets available, including for your local favorites, live in-game betting, and daily promotions and bonuses for players.

Among the new promotions: a $2,021 risk-free bet for new Tennessee sports betting customers.

Tennessee Sports Betting

Although Tennessee sports wagering has gotten off to a good initial start, it still has a way to go to prove its mettle among controversy with legislative rules different from many other US states.

Prior to launching, Tennessee was the nation’s first online-only sports betting platform. Legislators chose a debatable Lottery-run system, which had been underwhelming in other states. They also decided upon an unusually high 20% tax rate plus an extremely high 10% hold, which many viewed as a deterrent for prospective top-end sports betting providers.

The controversy quieted down when early results were tabulated. Tennessee accrued $211 in handle for January and overall, the first three months in operation have totaled $523 million in action. At that time, more than any other US state within a first three-month run of sportsbook operation. All accomplished with just four sportsbooks, operating with online betting only.

William Hill Strengths

Tennessee is William Hill’s 12th market in which they have launched mobile/online. Other states include Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC, which also have William Hill onsite sportsbooks. New Mexico and Mississippi have William Hill retail sportsbooks. Besides deep sportsbook experience within the US, the company is also well-known internationally.

According to their press release, “William Hill offers a seamless experience that makes it easy and quick to make a sports wager and gives Tennessee sports fans a broad and deep array of markets and bet types, including live, in-game wagering.”

Next Steps for Tennessee

William Hill is unlikely to be the last sportsbook added to the roster in the Volunteer State. WynnBET and TwinSpires are looking to come aboard soon and probably a few others will join the list in the near future, giving sports bettors there an ample list to choose from.

The most intriguing upcoming test may come as more sportsbooks (like William Hill), join the field in Tennessee. Potentially, it is feared that the high tax rate and hold in the state may have an outcome on the odds passed on to the bettors. Should that happen it will immediately surface and be a problem necessary to rectify.

But for now, Tennessee bettors can take advantage of generous William Hill bonuses for new sign-ups and bet their favorite teams as March Madness begins.

Check out the WSN March Madness Free-to-Play Pick ’em Contest for your chance to win up to $5800!