1 UK Betting Firms Gamble on United States After Sports Wager Ruling
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UK wagering firms bet on US after sports betting wager judgment
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5 June 2018

By Natalie Sherman

Business reporter, New York

It's high stakes for UK companies as sports betting starts to spread in America.

From Tuesday, new guidelines on wagering came into effect in Delaware, a tiny east coast state about 2 hours from Washington.

Neighbouring New Jersey might begin accepting sports betting bets as early as Friday.

The modifications are the very first in what could end up being a wave of legalisation after the Supreme Court last month cleared the way for states to allow sports betting.

The market sees a "as soon as in a generation" chance to establish a new market in sports betting-mad America, stated Dublin-based financial expert David Jennings, who heads leisure research at Davy.

For UK firms, which are coming to grips with combination, increased online competitors and harder rules from UK regulators, the timing is particularly opportune.

Why the gambling market faces an unpredictable future

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But the market says relying on the US remains a dangerous bet, as UK companies deal with complicated state-by-state regulation and competitors from entrenched regional interests.

"It's something that we're really concentrating on, however equally we don't want to overhype it," said James Midmer, spokesman at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently acquired the US fantasy sports betting site FanDuel.

'Take some time'

The US accounted for about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in gaming profits in 2015, according to a report by Technavio, external released in January.

Firms are intending to take advantage of more of that activity after last month's choice, which struck down a 1992 federal law that disallowed states beyond Nevada and a few others from authorising sports betting.

The ruling discovered the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not really legalise sports betting wagering, leaving that question to regional lawmakers.

That is anticipated to lead to substantial variation in how firms get accredited, where sports betting wagering can occur, and which events are open to speculation - with big ramifications for the size of the market.

Potential earnings varieties from $4.2 bn to almost $20bn annually depending upon aspects like how numerous states relocate to legalise, Oxford Economics approximated in a 2017 research study for the American Gaming Association.

"There was a lot of 'this is going to be huge'", stated Will Hawkley, London-based head of for consultants KPMG.

Now, he said: "I think the majority of people ... are looking at this as, 'it's a chance but it's not going to be $20bn and it's going to be state by state and it's going to take some time'."

'Remains to be seen"

Chris Grove, managing director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, predicts that 32 states will legalise sports betting in some form by 2023, developing a market with about $6bn in annual revenue.

But bookmakers face a far different landscape in America than they carry out in the UK, where wagering shops are a regular sight.

US laws limited gaming largely to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip till relatively just recently.

In the popular imagination, sports betting wagering has actually long been linked to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.

States have likewise been sluggish to legalise numerous kinds of online gaming, despite a 2011 Justice Department viewpoint that appeared to eliminate challenges.

While sports betting is usually seen in its own category, "it plainly remains to be seen whether it gets the type of momentum people think it will," stated Keith Miller, law professor at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting wagering guideline.

David Carruthers is the previous president of BetonSports, who was apprehended in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served prison time.

Now an expert, he states UK companies need to approach the market thoroughly, selecting partners with care and preventing missteps that could lead to regulator reaction.

"This is an opportunity for the American sports betting wagerer ... I'm not exactly sure whether it is an opportunity for business," he states. "It actually depends on the result of [state] legislation and how the business operators pursue the opportunity."

'It will be collaborations'

As legalisation begins, sports betting companies are lobbying to ward off high tax rates, in addition to requests by US sports betting leagues, which want to collect a portion of revenue as an "stability cost".

International companies face the included challenge of a powerful existing gaming industry, with casino operators, state-run lotteries and Native American people that are looking for to defend their grass.

Analysts say UK firms will need to strike partnerships, providing their knowledge and technology in order to make inroads.

They indicate SBTech's current statement that it is providing innovation for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the type of offers most likely to materialise.

"It will be a win-win for everybody, but it will be partnerships and it will be driven by innovation," Mr Hawkley stated.

'It will simply depend'

Joe Asher, president at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.

The business has been buying the US market given that 2011, when it bought 3 US firms to develop an existence in Nevada.

William Hill now utilizes about 450 people in the US and has revealed partnerships with gambling establishments in Iowa and New Jersey.

It works as threat supervisor for the Delaware Lottery and has invested millions together with a regional designer in a New Jersey horse racing track.

Mr Asher said William Hill has actually become a home name in Nevada however that's not always the goal all over.

"We definitely mean to have a very considerable brand presence in New Jersey," he said. "In other states, it will simply depend upon guideline and possibly who our local partner is."

"The US is going to be the most significant sports betting wagering market worldwide," he included. "Obviously that's not going to take place on the first day."

More on this story

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Paddy Power buys fantasy sports betting site

23 May 2018
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