How to Buy William Hill Shares in the UK [2024] | Step-by-Step

Summary: Willian Hill is not a publicly listed company, so you cannot invest in it directly. However, instead of buying William Hill shares, you can gain exposure to gambling stocks by investing in Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, and other prominent gambling firms through a regulated brokerage such as eToro. 

What is William Hill?

The company is one of the leading bookmakers in the UK, offering a wide assortment of products and services like sports betting, online poker, casino, and bingo.

While the London Stock Exchange lists William Hill shares under the ticker symbol WMH, it was acquired by Caesars Entertainment in April 2021 and subsequently by 888 Holdings in July 2022.

This means that William Hill is a privately owned company, so it is not possible for the public to invest in it directly.

However, you have other investment options if you want access to the gambling industry, like Flutter Entertainment (LSE: FLTR), DraftKings (LSE: 0ABA), and other publicly traded gambling firms. 

How to buy UK gambling company shares: step-by-step

Investors cannot buy William Hill shares as they are not publicly listed. However, besides several others, the London Stock Exchange publicly lists Flutter Entertainment and DraftKings shares, so investors can buy FLTR or 0ABA using a third-party online brokerage.

Step 1: Choose a broker

To buy Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, or shares in other gambling companies, you must create an account on a legitimate third-party investing platform. While plenty of services are available online, the optimal one depends on your stock trading style and invesment strategies. 

For example, some platforms are designed with active day traders in mind, simplifying high-frequency buying and selling. Some, on the other hand, cater to passive investors and their low-risk, long-term investment approaches.

To simply and securely invest in gambling companies in the UK, consider these platforms:

1. eToro

Finding the right platform can be a long and challenging task. If you want a top-tier service without dedicating hours to searching for it, consider investing in gambling companies with a regulated online broker eToro, a platform that provides:

• Commission-free stock trading; 
• 2,000+ stocks from 17 exchanges;
• Fractional shares available;
• User-friendly platform.

2. Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

Just as effective and popular among traders, Interactive Brokers offers shares with the following features:

• Commission-free stock trading;
• Global stock-trading on 90+ market centers;
• Fractional shares available;
• Extra income on fully paid shares;
• Lowest financing rates for margin accounts in the industry;
• No account minimum. 

Before you start looking for the ideal candidate, consider these factors:

• Fees: Brokerages such as eToro do not charge commissions for stock and ETF trades. That said, lower costs are beneficial, but they should not take priority over other important factors;
• Security: Check with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and PRA (Prudential Regulation Authority) whether they endorse your online brokerage and check if they have policies such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and SSL technology;
• Trading tools: Your trading personality defines which tools you should look for in a platform to trade shares efficiently. Advanced features carry higher price tags, so simpler solutions sometimes work better than complex services. If you are a fresh stock trader, we advise you to look for beginner-friendly brokerages;
• Access to market data: Stick with platforms that provide relevant and workable data and market research to boost the accuracy of your market estimates;
• Fractional stock trading: Fractional shares enable investors to buy less or more than a whole number of shares. It is an efficient way of diversifying portfolios and setting up a dollar-cost averaging strategy.

Step 2: Fund your account

After you have chosen your investment platform and successfully registered an account, you will have to link a deposit and transfer some funds. Various investment services support different payment methods: if you have a preferred way to deposit funds, make sure that your platform of choice supports it.

Today’s platforms allow users to link their bank accounts directly and use a debit card, credit card, and prepaid card. Alternatively, you can use a third-party service such as PayPal (PYPL).

Step 3: Research the William Hill shares alternatives

As William Hill shares cannot be publicly traded since the company is not listed on any stock exchange, you will need to buy Flutter Entertainment’s, DraftKings’, or another gambling firm’s publicly traded shares.

Before you buy any shares, however, ensure that you have done all the necessary research. Consider the following factors:

• Stock prices: Whether it is FLTR, 0ABA, or any other, check the current share prices. Go through recent price shifts and study the factors that potentially caused them, such as market conditions or business-related occurrences;
• Financial reports: Focus on annual and quarterly reports to learn about the company’s market performance. Good places to start are the London Stock Exchange’s website and the official website of the company, both of which should exhibit impactful data like revenue sources, expenses, and the current debt;

Step 4: Decide how much you want to invest in William Hills alternative shares

Once satisfied with your research, you must decide how many shares you want to buy.

The two deciding factors here are the current share price and the amount of cash you can invest in the stock. If you have multiple companies you want to invest in at once, feel free to use our stock average calculator and calculate the average share price easily. 

Step 5: Place your order and buy the William Hill alternative shares

You can place the order and execute the transaction once you sort out all the previous steps. First, you must log into your investing platform of choice (eToro in our case), type in the ticker in the search bar (e.g., FLTR, 0ABA), and proceed to specify the amount. 

There are a few different types of orders you can place:

• Market order: The most straightforward order you can set, the market order performs the purchase at the current price as soon as the exchange is open and the shares are available for sale;
• Limit order: A limit order is performed when (or if) the share price enters the set price range. The instructions will go through only if the price conditions are met;
• Options contract: Options contracts are financial derivatives that give the buyer the right to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specified price within a specific period of time. 

Step 6: Monitor your investment

Buying individual shares is a relatively risky and challenging active trading strategy that takes both time and effort. Unlike passive investing strategies such as bonds and ETFs, single-stock investments require monitoring your portfolio regularly.

As you cannot buy William Hill shares directly, you will need to pick the closest candidate. Remain informed about that firm’s activities by following finance news, press releases, and announcements. Additionally, keep a close eye on revenue streams and net income to understand the businesses’ financial status.

Watch these aspects and compare them with your stock portfolio regularly to keep updated on the right time to buy or sell.

Gambling company shares price UK

You can’t invest in William Hill shares directly. However, other gambling stock prices remain publicly listed. To gain some insight into the overall performance of the gambling industry, you can check the stock prices of two example companies, Flutter Entertainment and DraftKings.

Common mistakes to avoid when buying William Hills and alternative shares

Mistakes are not an anomaly in the stock trading business. They can reduce your potential profit, but most do not necessarily mean an early end to your investment. However, investors should still limit their number, and you can do this by learning from other investors’ common mistakes. These often include:

• Lack of research: Most mistakes occur because of insufficient research. Unthinkingly buying shares is no different from gambling;
• Lack of strategy: Define your financial goals before you purchase any shares;
• Short-term thinking: Moves done under emotional distress usually hinder your long-term strategy. Have in mind the long term and resist the urge to change trajectory earlier than necessary;
• Staking everything on one asset: A diverse portfolio is not mandatory, but it is desirable. Putting everything into a single stock can be incredibly risky;
• Inexperienced use of leverage: Leverage means investing lent money. It has a high potential win ratio and provides quick returns but also carries some of the highest levels of risk in trading in general. Avoid overusing leverage;
• Falling prey to scams: Stay clear from unscrupulous deals and shady service providers. Always confirm that your investing service and the assets are legitimate.

Pros and cons of buying William Hills and other gambling company shares

Weighing the pros and cons of investing in UK gambling companies can help you make the right decision. Consider the following:

Conclusion

Investors cannot buy William Hill shares since they are not listed on any stock exchange. However, investors can access the UK gambling industry through companies like Flutter Entertainment and DraftKings. 

In this guide, we have given detailed guidelines on buying shares in gambling companies in the UK and instructions on staying safe when investing and increasing your chance of success.

Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

FAQs about buying William Hill shares

What is William Hill?

William Hill is a leading gambling company in the UK. It provides online betting and gambling games in the sports and gaming industries.

How to invest in William Hill?

Unfortunately, you cannot buy William Hill shares directly. However, you can invest in alternative gambling company options using an online brokerage like eToro.

How to buy UK gambling company shares?

The best way to buy UK gambling company shares is to use eToro as a third-party investing service.

Where to buy UK gambling company shares?

You can buy most publicly listed UK gambling shares at the London Stock Exchange. Our recommendation is to go with eToro.