UK-listed bookies William Hill have struck a deal with Mastercard to offer customers a prepaid card that lets them access their account balances wherever debit or credit cards are accepted.
Hills has already rolled out the Priority Access card for its VIP customers, who can use the system to access their winnings immediately after bets are settled, rather than waiting the traditional three to five working days for online settlement. Customers can also use the card to pay for goods using funds directly from their Hills account.
Hills director of innovation and customer experience Jamie Hart told eGaming Review that the idea behind the card was to cut out the middleman and to offer punters the same instant access to their winnings that they’d get at a retail window. “No need to wait before you celebrate.”
Hart said current users of the card were making fewer withdrawals and betting more often, so Hills plans to expand the card program by offering it to up to 100k of its frequent customers before the new footie season kicks off.
In another example of Hills’ commitment to immediacy, its retail Betting Shop TV channel has been upgraded to enable the synchronous display of Inspired Gaming’s Virtual Sports feed to its digital player base via WilliamHill.com.
Hills and Inspired already have a well-established relationship but Inspired’s Rush Greyhounds, Rush Horses, Rush Motor Racing and Rush Cycling will now be broadcast in perfect synchronicity across Hills’ 2,300 betting shops as well as online and mobile between 5pm and 10pm each evening.
Hills’ omni-channel director Mike Jones said the goal was to create an “enjoyable and memorable experience our customers love and trust, however, wherever and whenever they choose to bet.” Inspired SVP Virtual Sports Steve Rogers said players would enjoy “a consistent, premium experience, no matter what channel they want to use at the time.”
