UK-listed bookies William Hill have struck a deal with Mastercard to offer customers a prepaid card that lets them access their account balances wherever debit or credit cards are accepted.

Hills has already rolled out the Priority Access card for its VIP customers, who can use the system to access their winnings immediately after bets are settled, rather than waiting the traditional three to five working days for online settlement. Customers can also use the card to pay for goods using funds directly from their Hills account.

Hills director of innovation and customer experience Jamie Hart told eGaming Review that the idea behind the card was to cut out the middleman and to offer punters the same instant access to their winnings that they’d get at a retail window. “No need to wait before you celebrate.”

Hart said current users of the card were making fewer withdrawals and betting more often, so Hills plans to expand the card program by offering it to up to 100k of its frequent customers before the new footie season kicks off.