UK wagering companies gamble on US after sports betting wager ruling
5 June 2018
By Natalie Sherman
Business press reporter, New York
It's high stakes for UK firms as sports betting starts to spread out in America.
From Tuesday, brand-new guidelines on sports betting entered impact in Delaware, a small east coast state about two hours from Washington.
Neighbouring New Jersey might start accepting sports betting bets as early as Friday.
The changes are the first in what could become a wave of legalisation after the Supreme Court last month cleared the method for states to allow sports betting.
The industry sees a "as soon as in a generation" opportunity to develop 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 debt consolidation, increased online competition and harder rules from UK regulators, the timing is particularly appropriate.
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But the industry states relying on the US remains a risky bet, as deal with complicated state-by-state guideline and competition from established local interests.
"It's something that we're really focusing on, however equally we don't wish to overhype it," stated James Midmer, representative at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently purchased the US dream sports betting website FanDuel.
'Take some time'
The US accounted for about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in gaming income last year, according to a report by Technavio, external published in January.
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Firms are hoping to tap into more of that activity after last month's decision, which overruled a 1992 federal law that barred states outside of Nevada and a couple of others from authorising sports betting wagering.
The ruling 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 legislators.
That is anticipated to lead to substantial variation in how companies get accredited, where sports betting can occur, and which events are open to speculation - with big ramifications for the size of the market.
Potential profits ranges from $4.2 bn to almost $20bn each year depending on elements like the number of states transfer to legalise, Oxford Economics approximated in a 2017 study for the American Gaming Association.
"There was a lot of 'this is going to be huge'", said Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for consultants KPMG.
Now, he said: "I believe a lot of people ... are taking a look at this as, 'it's an opportunity 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'."
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'Remains to be seen"
Chris Grove, handling director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, forecasts that 32 states will legalise sports betting wagering in some kind by 2023, creating a market with about $6bn in yearly revenue.
But bookies face a far various landscape in America than they do in the UK, where sports betting shops are a frequent sight.
US laws restricted sports betting largely to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip up until relatively recently.
In the popular imagination, sports betting has actually long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.
States have likewise been sluggish to legalise many types of online gambling, regardless of a 2011 Justice Department opinion that appeared to eliminate barriers.
While sports betting is normally viewed in its own classification, "it plainly remains to be seen whether it gets the kind of momentum individuals think it will," stated Keith Miller, law teacher at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting guideline.
David Carruthers is the previous chief executive of BetonSports, who was arrested in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served jail time.
Now a consultant, he says UK companies need to approach the market thoroughly, choosing partners with care and preventing mistakes that might result in regulator backlash.
"This is an opportunity for the American sports betting wagerer ... I'm unsure whether it is an opportunity for organization," he says. "It actually is reliant on the outcome of [state] legislation and how the company operators pursue the opportunity."
'It will be partnerships'
As legalisation starts, sports betting firms are lobbying to fend off high tax rates, as well as demands by US sports betting leagues, which wish to gather a portion of earnings as an "stability fee".
International companies face the included obstacle of a powerful existing video gaming industry, with casino operators, state-run lottos and Native American people that are looking for to protect their turf.
Analysts state UK companies will require to strike partnerships, providing their knowledge and technology in order to make inroads.
They point to SBTech's recent announcement that it is supplying technology for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the kind of offers most likely to materialise.
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"It will be a win-win for everyone, but it will be collaborations and it will be driven by innovation," Mr Hawkley said.
'It will simply depend'
Joe Asher, president at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.
The company has actually been purchasing the US market considering that 2011, when it acquired 3 US companies to develop an existence in Nevada.
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William Hill now uses about 450 individuals in the US and has revealed partnerships with gambling establishments in Iowa and New Jersey.
It works as risk supervisor for the Delaware Lottery and has invested millions together with a regional developer in a New Jersey horse racing track.
Mr Asher said William Hill has become a family name in Nevada but that's not always the goal all over.
"We definitely plan to have an extremely considerable brand name presence in New Jersey," he stated. "In other states, it will simply depend upon guideline and potentially who our regional partner is."
"The US is going to be the greatest sports betting market worldwide," he added. "Obviously that's not going to take place on day one."
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UK Betting Firms Gamble on United States After Sports Wager Ruling
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