William Hill Agrees ₤ 2.9 Bn Takeover William Hill agrees ₤ 2.9 bn takeover by Caesars Palace owner Caesars Entertainment, the Las Vegas casino-owner, has struck a ₤ 2.9 bn deal to take over UK wagering firm William Hill. The boards of the US company and William Hill concurred a cash deal of 272p a share topic to investors voting in favour. US private equity firm Apollo had also made a bid to take control of William Hill. But Caesars said that if the UK company selected Apollo, it would jeopardise a joint venture between them. Caesars owns a 20% stake in William Hill's US operations, which likewise have exclusive rights to run sports betting under the Caesars brand. The US firm, which owns Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, is particularly interested in William Hill's US bookmaking business which currently has 170 retail sites in 13 various states. In August William Hill stated it would not be reopening 119 of its UK High Street betting shops after the coronavirus shutdown, saying it did not expect consumers to return in the numbers seen before the pandemic. William Hill stated its directors would "unanimously and unconditionally" advise that investors accept the deal. The Caesars Palace owner plans to discover other owners for William Hill's non-US companies, including its more than 1,400 UK wagering stores. It stated it would incorporate the US organization into Caesars with very little task cuts. The agreement comes not long after William Hill stated it was inclined to advise Caesars' offer. Roger Devlin, chairman of William Hill, stated: "The William Hill board thinks this is the best choice for William Hill at an appealing price for shareholders." Caesars primary executive Tom Reeg said: "The opportunity to combine our land based-casinos, sports wagering and online gaming in the US is a really amazing possibility.