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William Hill transforms betting experience with new innovative and digital-focused shop
William Hill has transformed the in-shop betting experience for its customers following the opening of a state-of-the-art, digital-only shop in Leeds on Saturday.
Ex-Leeds and England goalkeeper Nigel Martyn, former Yorkshire and England cricketer Craig White and ex-Leeds Rhinos player Stevie Ward attended the relaunch of William Hill’s Vicar Lane venue, which promises an unrivalled immersive and interactive betting experience not seen before in betting shops.
The transformed shop in Leeds will provide William Hill customers with a range of exciting, new digital opportunities, including:
- Digital only – William Hill will be going paperless across the shop
- Integrated research table – customers can access digital versions of the Racing Post at William Hill’s new research table
- Charging stations – customers will be able to charge their phones wirelessly while in the shop
- Scent solutions – inspired by casinos, computer-driven scents configured to cover the entire shop have been installed
William Hill has also placed delivering innovations in player safety at the heart of the relaunch, with the introduction of a player safety/customer service area named ‘Own Your Game’, where customers and staff can privately interact around safer gambling issues and the various support measures available.
The leading bookmaker will also have access to real-time footfall information via a dashboard to understand customer dwell time and peak periods. Elsewhere, William Hill has introduced gantry cameras, providing access to which betting materials customers are engaging with on the shop floor to help tailor popular broadcast content, while also trialling the use of body cameras to ensure safety of its staff.
William Hill is set to roll out a similar digital-focused shop in Glasgow later this month.
Garry Fenton, William Hill’s UK Retail Director said: “We are presenting a brand new, player-centric betting shop environment that delivers a fun, immersive and digital experience, with innovation at its core.
“As well as offering our customers a wide range of cutting-edge digital features, we’ve also ensured that innovations in player safety have been key to this transformation. The relaunch in Leeds was a huge success and we look forward to bringing the same experience to other William Hill betting shops around the UK soon.”
Ben McCann, Head of Marketing – Retail & Omni added: “We’re delighted to be able to offer our customers in Leeds such an innovative and exciting digital-focused shop.
“Being able to utilise the new digital features on offer will make for a far more enjoyable betting experience, and one that will appeal greatly to our existing customers while also helping to attract a new audience in the process.”
Local Leeds sporting heroes Martyn, White and Ward all immersed themselves on Saturday in the digital experience that the new shop provides and they were impressed by what they saw.
Nigel Martyn said: “It’s been fantastic to see how William Hill are progressing the in-shop betting experience for its customers and great to see the innovation involved. Leeds fans looking to place a bet in-shop are set for a completely transformed digital experience and one that will certainly improve the way that they back their club.”
Carlo Santarelli
Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. announced that Carlo Santarelli has been appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, a new position at the Company. Mr. Santarelli will begin his new position on August 18, 2025 and will report to GLPI President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Moore.
Mr. Santarelli brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in Equity Research and Investment Banking to his new role and joins the Company from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director of Gaming & Lodging Equity Research. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Santarelli held similar positions at Bear Stearns, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. He consistently ranked highly in Institutional Investor and other sell-side analyst research polls as a thought leader in the space, providing unique perspectives on industry events and trends with his data-driven approach and stock picking talent. Carlo Santarelli graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics in 2000.
Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GLPI, said: “We’ve known and respected Carlo’s research work on the gaming, lodging and gaming REIT sectors for many years. Carlo brings to GLPI an in-depth knowledge of the industry and its participants, having experienced GLPI’s original formation of the gaming triple-net-REIT structure from a research analyst and capital markets perspective. We value his deep network of contacts among institutional investors, sell-side analysts and a wide range of gaming industry operators and we look forward to the value of his contributions.”
In his new role, Mr. Santarelli will work with Mr. Carlino and GLPI’s senior management to develop and evaluate growth opportunities and strategic relationships, and will oversee investor relations interactions.
The post Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Industry News
VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer

VIP Play, a technology-driven leader in interactive consumer engagement, announced that Jim Mackey, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, will step down from his role, effective August 8, 2025.
The Company has initiated a transition process and is in the process of identifying a successor. Mackey will assist in an orderly transition over the coming weeks.
“We thank Jim for his contributions to the Company, particularly during a transformative period for our business. We remain focused on executing our strategic priorities, including financial visibility, operating efficiency, and delivering value to our stakeholders,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO of VIP Play.
The post VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
eSports
Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

Esports Charts, the leading esports viewership analytics provider, has partnered with StarLadder, a pioneering tournament organiser. The Budapest Major 2025 marks a highly anticipated comeback for StarLadder, as it is their first Counter-Strike Major since 2019 and a significant return to the top-tier esports arena.
As the official analytics partner of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Esports Charts will provide comprehensive, real-time audience data and insights throughout the event. This will empower organisers, teams, sponsors and fans with unparalleled transparency and a deeper understanding of the tournament’s global reach.
Artyom Odintsov, Co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts, said: “We are thrilled and proud to provide viewership analytics for StarLadder for the Budapest Major 2025. Since both Esports Charts and StarLadder are Ukraine-born companies, we share similar values and deal with similar challenges, which brings us even closer.
“It’s genuinely exciting to follow how viewership will develop at this Major. But knowing the expertise, drive, and passion that the organizers are bringing, I have no doubt we’ll witness some incredible things happen in Budapest.
“Esports Charts has always been driven by a mission to provide the esports community with accurate, actionable data, and we look forward to showcasing the impact and audience engagement of this world-class event.”
StarLadder has been a driving force in global esports for almost 15 years now, since hosting its first tournaments in 2011. Renowned for its innovation and reliability, the company has organised some of the industry’s most iconic events. These include the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, which accumulated over 44 million hours watched and remains in the top 10 CS events by this metric, and the legendary StarSeries tournaments which started back in 2012.
Viacheslav Shcherbakov, Sales and Partnerships at StarLadder, said: “We’ve been working with Esports Charts since their founding and have always valued their professionalism and integrity. In a market where reliable data is essential, Esports Charts provides honest, transparent numbers, exactly the kind of insights sponsors and stakeholders rely on when assessing the potential reach of a World Championship event.
“We’re confident that this partnership will result in a high-quality analysis of our tournament’s performance and the audience data we’ll report to our partners. It’s a collaboration built on trust, shared values, and a deep understanding of what it takes to elevate esports to the next level.”
The Starladder Budapest Major 2025 will be held from November 24 to December 14 in Budapest, Hungary. The event will bring together the world’s top 32 Counter-Strike 2 teams to compete for a $1.25 million prize pool and one of the most prestigious titles in esports.
The post Esports Charts Becomes Official Viewership Analytics Partner of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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