Former William Hill Chief Executive Officer Ralph Topping has called out what he calls instances of gambling businesses treating customers as ‘wallets with legs’.
Writing on LinkedIn, Topping referred to William Hill’s recent Jackpot Drop malfunction. The issue itself centres on a fault within a jackpot game across the evoke-owned brand, which Topping led while it was a standalone entity between 2008-14.
The fault resulted in customers being incorrectly credited with large sums – some reportedly in the seven-figure range. In several cases, players were able to withdraw funds before the error was identified.
The operator has since moved to reverse transactions, lock affected accounts and request the return of withdrawn money, in some instances offering customers the option to retain around 11% as a goodwill gesture.
The situation has already spilled into mainstream UK media and television coverage, with some customers publicly disputing the operator’s actions on websites including the BBC and TV shows like Good Morning Britain, and exploring legal avenues.
In his LinkedIn post, Topping suggested that the company has failed to get ahead of the story.
He pointed to the absence of clear disclosure around the total sums involved and number of impacted accounts, and criticised the reliance on statements from unnamed spokespersons rather than visible senior leadership.
“Life at evoke has not been a bowl of cherries and at times the steady drip ,drip of negative developments has caused eyebrows to involuntarily arch upwards in the manner of Carlo Ancelotti’s left eyebrow before subsequently returning to a normal state,” he wrote yesterday.
“I think it is now very likely this story will not disappear but drag on as Ellis Jones solicitors is looking at pursuing claims in relation to these issues , potentially on a group action basis.
“Knowing the UK media over many years and their support for underdogs I would not be surprised to see senior executives doorstepped at their home address and questioned on the company’s approach. Better to have been on the front foot in the first instance.”
Topping contrasted this with the approach taken by Sacha Dragic at Superbet, who he said personally led the response to a similar technical issue, ultimately honouring payouts at a cost of around €30m (£25.9m) in order to protect customer trust and quickly close down a story which threatened to spread like wildfire last year.
Topping served as Chairman of the Superbet board between 2016-19, and later as a member of the board of directors from 2019-23.
He continued: “Mr Dragic was front and centre in dealing quickly with this issue as you would expect from the founder of a business where trust has always been central to his dealings with his customers, colleagues , suppliers and a myriad of business contacts.
“I worked with Sacha Dragic for many years. He is a man of impeccable reputation and high personal integrity. Any verbal promise on his part is as binding as a written contract. Trust and reliability are his watchwords.
“His customers got paid. €30m was the cost. Clients were not treated as wallets with legs. Superbet accepted responsibility. The story died quickly and like UK bookmakers discovered after Dettori day I’m sure Superbet saw much of the payout recirculated back into the business.”
That view was partially echoed by Mikael Pawlo, former CEO of Mr Green, also now owned by evoke, who noted he faced a comparable incident during his tenure that made international headlines.
He replied to Topping saying: “I had this exact problem with Mr Green and it even made the front page of Wall Street Journal ”the casino that got a little too green” – but you just have to face the music.
“I did probably 50 interviews in a week, but we did not pay, but (the other) clients understood the issue and trusted us.”
A lot on evoke’s plate
The timing is particularly sensitive for evoke. The group, rebranded from 888 Holdings in 2024 following its 2022 acquisition of William Hill’s non-US assets, remains under financial and strategic pressure.
Its FY25 results yesterday showed revenue growth and improved EBITDA, but significantly widened losses and net debt approaching £2bn.
At the same time, the William Hill, 888 and Mr Green owner is engaged in widely-reported and confirmed takeover discussions with Bally’s Intralot, meaning any reputational damage or potential financial liability tied to the jackpot incident could have broader implications.
However, it is worth noting that the Bally’s Intralot offer came after the initial fallout regarding the jackpot saga, suggesting that the suitor is hardly deterred. William Hill is also far from the only gambling operator to encounter controversy around errors or customer relations.
When contacted by SBC News, evoke was unable to provide further comment on the William Hill jackpot draw error. However, SBC understands that the company is continuing to work with its customers to resolve the issue.
Shortly after the error occurred last month, an evoke spokesperson issued the following statement to the Racing Post.
“During a routine review of platform activity, we identified an issue affecting the Jackpot Drop game which temporarily resulted in incorrect sums being credited to players’ balances and withdrawals being processed incorrectly.
“While we quickly identified and resolved this issue, for a short period of time funds were erroneously credited to some customer accounts that were not correctly generated through valid or properly functioning gameplay.
“We have contacted relevant customers to clarify the issue, and are in the process of retrieving the funds in line with our standard terms and conditions. We have been grateful for our customers’ understanding on this matter.”
Topping’s mammoth William Hill tenure
Topping’s intervention carries added weight given his own history with William Hill. After a 44-year career at the firm, culminating in his role as CEO from 2008-14, he oversaw the company’s expansion into online and international markets and its return to the FTSE 100 Index in 2013.
However, he also exited amid rising political and media scrutiny around the industry, which has since escalated.
William Hill also fell off the prestigious FTSE 100 just a month before Topping’s July 2014 departure and he received backlash in some instances over executive pay and retention bonuses, as well as his view on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).
Despite this, the increases in stature, size and revenue for William Hill whilst Topping was at the helm were still hugely significant.
From 2008-14, he oversaw a revenue increase from around £950m to £1.6bn. Operating profit for 2014 also rose year-on-year to £372m and, later in his tenure, he began to oversee a shift towards digital betting at the company.
While the comments of a former CEO should often be taken with a pinch of salt, Topping’s remarks represent yet more scrutiny for evoke after a sharp decline in share price on the London Stock Exchange over the past couple of years.
William Hill was acquired by evoke for around £2bn in July 2022, when shares were trading at around 172p. Fast-forward to today and it has a share price of 39.06p, a market cap of £185m, and a pending offer from Bally’s Intralot of £225m for the entire company, encompassing William Hill, 888 and Mr Green.
