William Hill became the first bookmaker floated on the London Stock Exchange (at just 225p per share). We became the first bookmakers to offer betting at Wimbledon. He made enough capital to open his very first office above a hat shop taking racecourse bets over the telephone.Īs a company, William Hill opened its first 18 betting shops all over London to capitalise on their popularity. Our founder, William Hill, started out in 1934, travelling around Birmingham on a motorbike and taking bets in the local area.