Why William Hill could be on our high streets for a long time after all

William Hill betting shops have been a feature of Britain's high streets since 1966, but in recent months there has appeared a very real chance that might not be the case for much longer.

When the bookmakers, launched as a telephone and postal betting service in 1934 and whose eponymous founder once described betting shops as a "cancer on society", were taken over by US casino giant Caesars Entertainment, their new owner had made it clear it was only planning to retain the US arm of Hills' business.

While Caesars wanted to sell off the rest of William Hill as a whole, there was speculation that a potential buyer could go on to sell Hills' remaining 1,414 betting shops given the way coronavirus lockdowns had accelerated the trend away from retail betting to online.