William Hill Aus backs In-Play product with new ad
Operator goes on the offensive with a new online marketing campaign to promote its controversial live betting feature
William Hill Australia has taken the bold step of launching a new advertising campaign to promote its live betting feature, despite ongoing scrutiny into the legality of the controversial product.
The operator’s ‘Click to Call’ feature has now been rebranded to ‘In-Play’, on both WilliamHill.com.au and TomWaterhouse.com.au, to coincide with the release of a new online video advert.
William Hill uses the 30-second ad to take a swipe at one of its competitors, believed to be Tabcorp, for publically questioning the legality of the product and said it aimed to take on Australia’s “monopolistic retail operators”.
William Hill Australia CEO Tom Waterhouse described In-Play as a “game-changer” and stressed that customers no longer needed to use offshore online gambling operators for live betting.
“We have an In-Play betting solution that is 100% legal and fits within the IGA (Interactive Gambling Act),” Waterhouse said.
“It’s simply about giving customers something better and it’s what they have been crying out for,” he added.
The ‘Own the Moment’ campaign was created in partnership with Melbourne-based creative agency Fenton Stephens and In-Play is one of three online video ads to launch in time for the start of the Spring Carnival next month.
In-Play was first launched in April and was designed as a solution to the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 which prohibits operators from providing online betting during live sports.
Under the law, operators can only accept wagers placed over the phone which has meant William Hill Australia’s product, which allows customers to place bets via the website so long as the device’s microphone is switched on, has come under significant scrutiny from the regulatory authorities.
According to figures released to eGaming Review, William Hill Australia’s In-Play product now accounts for 90% of all live wagers compared to 10% from its standard live phone betting service.
The Australian Communications and Media recently referred the product to the Australian Federal Police. However, the federal police agency is not understood to have begun its investigation and has had no communication with William Hill Australia.
The referral prompted Ladbrokes Australia to recently discontinue its own version of the live betting feature, although bet365’s betCall product continues to be in operation.