Last month, Caesars Entertainment landed William Hill Sportsbook in a nearly $4 billion acquisition. Despite the hefty price tag to acquire the international sports gaming giant, you won’t be seeing the William Hill brand around for too much longer.

Following a multi-billion dollar acquisition by Caesars Entertainment, the William Hill Sportsbook brand will shutter, giving way to the Caesars Sports app in the coming months. The app figures to quickly rise to prominence in both currently established and soon to launch United States legal online sports betting markets.

William Hill Sportsbook

Earlier this week, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg outlined his company’s multi-layered plan to aggressively enter the U.S. online sports betting game. A rapidly expanded brand presence thanks to partnerships with the NFL and ESPN, coupled with ambitious spending, figures to quickly bring the Caesars Sports app into the conversation as a preferred online betting destination.

Out with William Hill, In with Caesars Sports App

Notably, Reeg disclosed that Caesars intends to sell off William Hill’s non-U.S. entities and reallocate that cash into its U.S. sports betting efforts.

The concentrated focus from Caesars, one of the United States’ most recognizable gaming brands, makes sense. William Hill made a dent in various online sports betting markets, including New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, and Virginia, among others, but it never managed to emerge beyond the shadows of DraftKings and FanDuel in certain states, and BetMGM in others.

But with the impending Caesars Sports app rebrand, the results may be vastly different. In short, there are three key variables to consider regarding its likely emergence later this year.

For Caesars Sports App, Visibility Is Key

To begin, Caesars has positioned itself well thanks to a partnership deal with the NFL. Along with FanDuel and DraftKings, Caesars recently became one of the league’s three official sports betting partners. Having significant visibility with football fans — and bettors — should help raise its profile once the 2021 season kicks off.

Meanwhile, Caesars is also the official odds provider of ESPN programming. That’s important, as ESPN has increased sports betting elements organically into its television programming.

Such brand visibility paired with what is expected to be an aggressive spend plan in terms of advertising, marketing, and new player acquisition should bode well for future growth. In this way, Caesars could successfully gain a meaningful share in already established markets while positioning itself for strong launches as more states enter the legal online sports betting fray.

A Path to Follow

Undoubtedly, the Caesars Sports app will follow the path of rival operator BetMGM in states like Michigan.

While BetMGM is a significant player in markets like Tennessee, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, its success in the recently-launched Michigan online sports betting market proves that legacy brands can thrive against the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel.

William Hill Sportsbook