Press leak blamed for William Hill deal failure

A press leak was one of the main reasons that 888 Holdings and Rank Group failed in their £3.1bn pursuit of UK bookmaker William Hill, according to 888 chief executive Itai Frieberger.

The suitors announced their interest in buying William Hill on July 24, only hours after their plans were reported by the Sunday Times newspaper.

The disclosure started the regulatory clock ticking, giving them less than a month to make a formal offer or walk away.