William Hill cleared to run six Strip sportsbooks including Cosmopolitan, The Venetian, Palazzo

The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) on Thursday approved sportsbook operator CG Technology company’s acquisition by William Hill.

The NGC voted unanimously to allow William Hill and its subsidiaries to take over sportsbooks operated by CG Technology at six casinos in Las Vegas after receiving assurances the deal was not anti-competitive for gamblers.

William Hill US CEO Joe Asher told commissioners that the acquisition of CG Technology gives it “first-class” Strip properties. When the deal to acquire the CG Technology assets closes Monday, William Hill will begin operating sportsbooks Tuesday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Venetian and Palazzo, and the Silverton. The Palms and Tropicana sportsbooks also were part of the deal but remain closed.

The sportsbook at the Hard Rock was also powered by CG Technology, but it was closed and sold and will be rebranded as Virgin Hotel Las Vegas. William Hill’s transaction with CG also turns over a betting platform and risk management consulting operation at the Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Regulators there recently approved the deal.

Thanks to that separate deal involving Caesars Entertainment Corp., William Hill will also be the operators at Caesars properties’ sportsbooks. “We’ve opened up at Caesars Palace, The Linq, Paris, Bally’s and yesterday at Harrah’s here in Las Vegas,” Asher said in an interview, as reported by Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re opening up today at Harveys in Lake Tahoe. So the rollout is underway.” William Hill began working with Eldorado Resorts —whose merger with Caesars closed last month—  two years ago.

Asher also told the commission that once William Hill is firmly established, the company will meet with their partners to recommend capital improvements to the sportsbooks. 

William Hill announced in November that it was acquiring CG Technology’s assets in Nevada and in the Bahamas for an undisclosed price. The company has said it would honor any outstanding wagering tickets written by CG Technology after the takeover. Once the transaction closes, CG Technology will no longer have any gaming assets in the state, only some office space.