UK wagering companies bet on US after sports betting wager judgment
5 June 2018
By Natalie Sherman
Business press reporter, New York
It's high stakes for UK firms as sports betting starts to spread in America.
From Tuesday, new rules on sports betting entered effect in Delaware, a small east coast state about 2 hours from Washington.
Neighbouring New Jersey could begin accepting sports betting bets as early as Friday.
The changes are the first in what could end up being a wave of legalisation after the Supreme Court last month cleared the method for states to allow sports betting wagering.
The industry sees a "as soon as in a generation" chance to develop a brand-new market in sports betting-mad America, said Dublin-based monetary analyst David Jennings, who heads leisure research study at Davy.
For UK companies, which are grappling with debt consolidation, increased online competition and harder rules from UK regulators, the timing is especially opportune.
Why the sports betting market faces an unsure future
How does prohibited sports betting work and what are the worries?
But the market states depending on the US stays a dangerous bet, as UK business face complicated state-by-state guideline and competitors from entrenched local interests.
"It's something that we're really focusing on, however similarly we do not want to overhype it," said James Midmer, spokesperson at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently purchased the US fantasy sports betting site FanDuel.
'Take time'
The US accounted for about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in gaming revenue last year, according to a report by Technavio, external released in January.
Firms are wanting to take advantage of more of that activity after last month's choice, which overruled a 1992 that barred states outside of Nevada and a couple of others from authorising sports betting.
The judgment discovered the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not in fact legalise sports betting, leaving that concern to local lawmakers.
That is expected to lead to considerable variation in how companies get licensed, where sports betting can happen, and which events are open to speculation - with big implications for the size of the market.
Potential revenue ranges from $4.2 bn to practically $20bn yearly depending on elements like the number of states relocate to legalise, Oxford Economics approximated in a 2017 study for the American Gaming Association.
"There was a great deal of 'this is going to be huge'", said Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for consultants KPMG.
Now, he stated: "I believe many people ... are looking at this as, 'it's a chance however 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, handling director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, predicts that 32 states will legalise sports betting wagering in some kind by 2023, creating a market with about $6bn in annual earnings.
bit.ly
But bookmakers deal with a far various landscape in America than they perform in the UK, where sports betting stores are a regular sight.
US laws restricted sports betting mainly to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip up until fairly recently.
In the popular imagination, sports betting wagering has long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.
States have also been sluggish to legalise many kinds of online gambling, in spite of a 2011 Justice Department viewpoint that appeared to get rid of obstacles.
While sports betting is usually viewed in its own classification, "it plainly stays to be seen whether it gets the type of momentum people believe it will," stated Keith Miller, law teacher at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting policy.
David Carruthers is the former primary executive of BetonSports, who was apprehended in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served prison time.
Now a consultant, he states UK firms ought to approach the marketplace carefully, picking partners with care and preventing missteps that could result in regulator backlash.
"This is an opportunity for the American sports betting bettor ... I'm not sure whether it is a chance for company," he says. "It truly depends on the outcome of [state] legislation and how the company operators pursue the chance."
'It will be collaborations'
As legalisation begins, sports betting companies are lobbying to fend off high tax rates, as well as demands by US sports betting leagues, which wish to collect a percentage of income as an "integrity fee".
International business deal with the added obstacle of a powerful existing gaming industry, with gambling establishment operators, state-run lotteries and Native American tribes that are seeking to defend their turf.
Analysts say UK companies will need to strike partnerships, providing their expertise and innovation in order to make inroads.
They point to SBTech's recent statement that it is offering technology for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the type of deals likely to materialise.
"It will be a win-win for everybody, however it will be collaborations and it will be driven by technology," Mr Hawkley said.
'It will simply depend'
bet9ja.com
Joe Asher, chief executive at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.
The business has been investing in the US market considering that 2011, when it bought three US firms to establish an existence in Nevada.
William Hill now uses about 450 individuals in the US and has announced collaborations with casinos in Iowa and New Jersey.
It works as risk supervisor for the Delaware Lottery and has actually invested millions together with a regional designer in a New Jersey horse racing track.
Mr Asher said William Hill has actually become a household name in Nevada but that's not necessarily the objective all over.
"We definitely plan to have a really substantial brand name existence in New Jersey," he stated. "In other states, it will just depend on policy and possibly who our regional partner is."
"The US is going to be the greatest sports betting market worldwide," he included. "Obviously that's not going to take place on day one."
More on this story
US ruling opens way for sports betting
14 May 2018
bet9ja.com
Paddy Power buys fantasy sports betting site
23 May 2018
1
UK Betting Firms Gamble on United States After Sports Wager Ruling
Antje Roush edited this page 3 weeks ago