William Hill becomes official ESPN odds supplier

In a deal announced Monday that extends bookmakers' presence online and on television, the William Hill betting chain will become the exclusive odds provider for ESPN across all of its channels.

As part of the agreement, viewers will be able to connect directly from ESPN pages to William Hill sports betting applications in legal betting states and the business will be incorporated into espn's product portfolio.

The multi-year contract is an extension of the new ESPN agreement with Caesars Entertainment, which through its Caesars Palace sportsbook had given the odds to the broadcaster. The sportsbook operations at the famous Las Vegas strip hotel were eventually taken over by William Hill as part of a partnership with Eldorado Resorts.

William Hill will serve in more than 170 store stores across 13 states until the deal is completed. The group, already a big player in Nevada, opened 12 branded sportsbooks at the Nevada, Iowa and New Jersey properties in Caesars.

The transaction is the latest in the fast-growing sports betting industry, where the biggest players are competing to gain market share as sports betting spreads across the U.S.