Evoke's third-quarter revenue falls 7%

Evoke, owner of William Hill, 888 and Mr Green, announced that it generated revenue of £406 million in the three-month period ending 30 September. Revenue fell 7% year on year. Excluding the currency effect and the shrinking physical estate, the decline was 2%.

The company said that sports results in the first weeks of the 2026/27 football season also weighed on revenue, by roughly 1 to 2%. Adjusting for these effects, underlying revenue was broadly flat. It also noted that sports betting margins weakened during the period.

The decline is linked to a restructuring programme launched after UK betting duties increased. Evoke closed around 70 shops in the final quarter of 2025 and decided to close a further 200 William Hill branches from 24 May 2026. Management said rising operating costs made some physical stores economically unsustainable.

In the first half, retail revenue fell 2.6% to £245.6 million, while revenue from the same shops, excluding those closed, rose 4%. The company expects its acquisition by Bally's Intralot to complete in late 2026 or early 2027.

CEO Per Widerström highlighted the impact of the tax burden on employment and called on the UK government to carefully consider any further tax increases ahead of the Autumn Budget. The company said it has no plans to close additional shops at present, but that this position could change depending on budget decisions.