William Hill is preparing to pull out of a broad group of international markets as parent company Evoke moves forward with an extensive realignment of its global footprint. Beginning 2 December, the operator will no longer accept bets from customers in 13 jurisdictions across Africa, Asia and Latin America—a significant shift that marks one of the brand’s largest geographic retreats in years.

Strategic Consolidation Rather Than Isolated Market Exits

Residents of Angola, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Vietnam will lose access to wagering services from that date. According to William Hill’s own customer information, open bets placed before 2 December will be settled normally, while wagers scheduled to settle afterward will instead be voided and refunded.

Account access will remain available for withdrawals until 5 January. After that deadline, login credentials will no longer work, and customers with outstanding balances will need to contact support teams directly. This sequence of cut-off dates appears across the master-copy sources and reflects a coordinated wind-down rather than a staggered, region-by-region exit.

The breadth and timing of the decision point to a company-wide reset rather than isolated regulatory obstacles. Several of the affected territories are emerging markets where infrastructure variations, payment reliability concerns, and inconsistent regulatory regimes frequently complicate long-term operational planning. Evoke has already reorganized some of its African ambitions through its 2022 licensing agreement with 888Africa, a joint venture focused specifically on regulated African markets. That structure is led by a team with deep experience in the region, including former Paddy Power intelligence head Christopher Coyne and former William Hill online managing director Andrew Lee.

The realignment suggests William Hill’s withdrawal is part of a consolidation strategy, streamlining its presence in Africa through a single dedicated entity rather than maintaining multiple competing brands. This interpretation is further supported by the broader trend of selective product restrictions in recent years, noted in one of the sources. In certain jurisdictions, William Hill has already limited specific verticals—sports betting in Hungary and Armenia, poker in Slovenia, or gaming products in Germany and Latvia—long before this latest wave of closures.

Domestic Pressures in the UK Complicate Evoke’s Next Moves

While the international retrenchment is notable on its own, it coincides with mounting pressures in the UK retail sector. Evoke has warned that it may be forced to close up to 200 William Hill shops should the government increase gambling taxes in the forthcoming November budget. With around 15% of its retail estate potentially at risk, the company estimates that as many as 1,500 jobs could be affected.

An Evoke spokesperson stated: “As part of our ongoing planning, we are assessing the potential impact of different overall tax scenarios on our UK operations. This includes the difficult but necessary consideration for shop closures. We are mindful of potential tax increases in the forthcoming budget which would impact investment in the UK and drive more customers to the black market.”

This message aligns with a broader industry trend of signalling potential economic fallout in advance of fiscal changes. If the UK budget introduces the expected tax increases, Evoke may be simultaneously scaling back global exposure and tightening domestic operations to protect margins and redirect resources toward markets it defines as “core.”