What the licence means and how to check it
The table above gives the licence, the operator and the year William Hill started, 1998. What matters for you is what each line lets you verify. The licence number is the one thing you can check independently, because the regulator publishes it. Open the public register entry, and compare the company name and licence status with what this page shows. If the register shows something different, treat that as a reason to stop.
The operator line tells you which company is responsible for the service. The company is registered in Gibraltar, but for play in the United Kingdom the licence that counts is the UK one in the register, so that is the entry to check. When you have a complaint or a question about terms, the legal entity behind the brand is the one that answers for it, so it is useful to know the name before you need it. If you ever escalate a complaint, you will need the full company name and the licence number, so keep a note of both: WHG (International) Limited (evoke plc group) and 039225-R-319373-015. Copy the company name exactly as the register shows it, with its brackets and spelling.
A UK licence also comes with duties. Licensed operators must verify the age and identity of customers, test games for fairness, offer safer gambling tools such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and handle complaints through a set process. These are market rules that apply to every licensed operator. They tell you what you are entitled to expect, and the register tells you whether the operator is licensed to provide it.
When a complaint is not settled by the operator, licensed operators must also point customers to an independent dispute resolution service. Keep copies of your messages, the dates of any payments and screenshots of the terms that applied at the time, because a complaint is much easier to follow when the facts are written down.
18+ · T&Cs apply
Pros and cons
Points in favour
- The operator holds a UK Gambling Commission licence that you can find in the public register.
- The company behind the brand is named, together with its place of registration, so you know who is responsible for the service.
- William Hill has been running since 1998, so it is not a new name with no track record to look at.
- Support is available by live chat, email and phone, with live chat hours of 24/7 (live chat).
Points to weigh
- Identity verification is required, so expect to provide documents before the account is fully usable.
- A licence shows that the operator meets regulatory rules. It is not a measure of how you will find the service, the terms or the payout experience, so read the terms before you deposit.
- Gambling costs money and results are random. A licensed, legitimate operator does not change that.
How to protect yourself
Treat legitimacy as the starting point, then set up your own protection before you play. Several tools are in your control, and they are most useful when you set them early, not after a bad session.
- Deposit limits cap how much you can pay in over a period you choose. Set one that is an amount you can afford to lose.
- Time-outs let you pause your account for a short period when you want a break.
- Self-exclusion closes your access for a longer period you choose.
- GAMSTOP is the free service that blocks access to UK-licensed gambling sites in one step.
Look through your deposit history now and then, so that a pattern you did not intend stands out early. Keep your password private and use a login that you do not use elsewhere. Do not share the account, and log out on any device that other people use. Be wary of messages that claim to come from William Hill and ask for your password or payment details, because a genuine operator would not need your password.
If gambling stops being fun, stop and talk to someone. The safer gambling page explains the tools and where to find help, and our safety review looks at how your money and data are protected.