• Alfabet holds licence from Colombian regulator to offer sports betting and games of chance
• Sportbook rebranded to William Hill
• Colombia seen as leading the way for LatAm online gambling regulation

William Hill has seen its first official launch in Latin America after pressing go on its new brand in Colombia.

In December, the company announced that it had secured a majority stake in Alfabet S.A.S, which already holds a licence with Coljuegos, the Colombian online gambling regulator.

Now the UK-based business has rebranded the Alfabet site, making it a William Hill brand, with the traffic pushing to the williamhill.co domain.

Next stop, Brazil?

Although Colombia is far from being the largest LatAm online betting market, its liberal laws and licensing regime make it an example that other countries will do well to follow.

One of those is Brazil, which has huge potential for online gambling companies. The country is dipping its toe into becoming a regulatory territory, as is Argentina, but would do well to follow the Colombia example.

For companies like William Hill, getting a licence in Colombia will be a significant stepping stone to further expansion in the region. It is the ninth regulated market for William Hill.

Ulrik Bengtsson, Chief Executive of William Hill, said: “I am thrilled to see WilliamHill.co launched within such a short timeframe.

“This launch includes the full integration of the Alfabet team into our international business hub in Malta and marks our first entry into a regulated Latin American state.

“We are delighted to have the Alfabet team join our international team and excited by the opportunity to deliver a very competitive product and safe player experience under the William Hill brand in Colombia.”

Btobet deal

William Hill has also confirmed it has brokered a new, Colombia-facing agreement with Btobet, a sportsbook technology provider that was acquired by Aspire Global last year.

At the time, Aspire said the purchase was a key part of its growth strategy, allowing it to take a “major step” in creating an offering encompassing the significant elements of the B2B iGaming value chain.