The pace of UK gambling market consolidation sped up over the weekend on reports that casino operator Rank Group and online gambling business 888 Holdings were teaming up on a joint bid to acquire bookmaker William Hill.

As first reported by the Sunday Times, Rank and 888 are in “advanced talks” regarding a merger that would create a £2b firm. Assuming that deal gets done, the pair would then make a £3b play to acquire Hills, creating a truly full spectrum gambling operator.

Rank and 888 subsequently issued a joint statement saying they saw “significant industrial logic” in acquiring Hills, a move they believe will result in “substantial revenue and cost synergies.” While no formal approach has yet been made to Hills, UK takeover regulations give Rank and 888 until Aug. 21 to propose specific terms of a deal.

Rank operates over 50 Grosvenor casinos and nearly 100 Mecca Bingo clubs, as well as a young but thriving online division. 888 is an online-only operation with a particularly strong poker vertical. Hills has the UK’s second largest (if currently underperforming) online division as well as the UK’s largest retail betting presence that generates over half of its overall revenue.