William Hill Casino Club, which is operated by WHG (International) Limited, has stopped operations in Russia. According to reports, William Hill’s online casino brand William Hill Casino Club, had notified all Russian gamblers that they will not be able to access the online casino brand as of the 23rd of September 2016. They further stated that all players’ accounts would be suspended. William Hill’s online casino brand mentioned regulatory reasons for its decision to discontinue offering its services to the Russian iGaming industry.
Between 15 and 21 September, more than 439 online gambling sites were blocked by Roskomnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications). Local media in Russia pointed out that the regulator introduced new strict regulations regarding the provision of iGaming products and services.
In August 2016, Roskomnadzor blocked over 1 700 sites to prevent illegal distribution of iGaming products and services with the country’s borders. The regulator also extended its crackdown by blocking operators’ social media accounts.
Twitter, Facebook, and VK (VKontakte) were among social networks requested by the regulator to stop unlicensed operators from promoting gambling options. As a result of Roskomnadzor’s crackdown, VK alone suspended more than 250 accounts that were linking to 40 different gambling sites.
William Hill Casino Rejects 888 Holdings and The Rank Group takeover bid
William Hill Casino is currently the UK’s leading bookmaker and one of the world’s largest gambling operators with operations across the globe. In August 2016, the operator rejected a £3.1 billion cash-and-stock takeover bid from 888 Holdings and The Rank Group.
