William Hill and Playtech's joint venture, William Hill Online, has become the centre of a bitter dispute between the two companies, the Financial Times reports.

William Hill in 2008 agreed to give Playtech a 29 percent stake in William Hill Online in return for providing the software and personnel for the new startup.

The solution allowed William Hill to open a long overdue online division from scratch, but three years later the independently run William Hill Online is now causing headaches in William Hill headquarters in London.

Headlining the disputes between the companies are a number of incidents, which point to an increasingly souring relationship between the partners and the new online division.

William Hill in February prevented Playtech from selling its 29 percent stake, and in September the company had to pull from an acquisition deal with mobile betting operator Probability, allegedly after it had been vetoed by Playtech.

Then, last month, William Hill Online staff walked out from a support center in Tel Aviv, Israel, over claims that William Hill boss Ralph Topping planned to relocate operations to Gibraltar.

Topping denied that the jobs were to be moved, but William Hill executives complained that it had continual battles with members of William Hill Online's management to gain access to information and data.

Israeli intelligence officers were brought in to go through the books, and found that a hairdresser, a fish feeder and a rabbi were on the payroll in the Tel Aviv centre.

According to sources close to the William Hill Online, personal disputes between Topping and Playtech boss Mor Weizer have caused William Hill Online staff and management to be more loyal to Playtech than to the mother company in England.

This is believed to be the explanation behind the rebellious staffers in Tel Aviv, sources claimed.

While the situation has been settled in Tel Aviv, the relationship between the bosses of the joint venture continues to be cold, leading to concerns of further complications in the future.

"It's like Ali versus Frazier," said one unnamed source to the Financial Times.

"They are two individuals who aren't scared of each other."

William Hill has an option to buy out Playtech's 29 percent stake in William Hill Online, either in 2013 or 2015.

Talks between the two companies are planned for later this year.