William Hill (16 July 1903 – 15 October 1971) was an English businessman who was the founder of William Hill, the British bookmaking firm.
Born in Birmingham, Hill left school at the age of twelve to work on his uncle's farm.[1] While working in a factory in Birmingham he started collecting illegal bets from local people on his motorcycle.[1] In 1919, Hill joined the Royal Irish Constabulary (Cork East Riding - and is documented on the RIC records as such) as a driver while underage (16) and was stationed in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland.[2]
After the hopeless failure of his first foray into bookmaking, he moved to London in 1929 where he started taking bets on greyhounds before opening an illicit gambling den in Jermyn Street in 1934.[1] He exploited a loophole which allowed credit or postal betting but not cash.