The Chief Executive Officer of British bookmaker William Hill revealed for Reuters that several US sports teams are keen on striking sponsorship deals with the company. The increased interest towards the company comes at a time when sports betting has already been made legal in the country since the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of New Jersey in the state’s sports betting case.
As explained by Joseph Asher, head of William Hill US operations, the British gambling operator has been receiving a large number of phone calls and e-mails from US professional sports teams looking for sponsorship agreements.
As recently reported by Casino Guardian, some of the largest UK gambling companies are becoming more interested in expanding their presence to the US, with this trend becoming stronger following the US Supreme Court decision to lift the federal sports betting ban which had been imposed in the country with the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. Now, with an increasing number of states focused on opening their markets for the new opportunities associated with sports betting, partnership and sponsorship deals could follow, experts say.
UK Gambling Operators Seeking to Boost US Presence
Today, the state of New Jersey is expected to finalise its first-ever sports betting expansion, eventually putting an end to its long-lasting legal battle against professional sports leagues. The latter partly opposed legalising sports betting options in the state because they feared that such betting options could hurt their integrity. Finally, in May 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of the state of New Jersey, with its decision lifting the federal ban on sports betting services across the country and providing each state with the chance to individually decide on the fate of sports betting within its borders.
William Hill, which at present times is one of the largest gambling operators on the territory of the UK, has been one of the companies willing to get an expansion in the newly-opened sports betting market in the US. A few years ago, in 2013, it agreed to make a $1-million investment to establish a Monmouth Park Racetrack sports book venue in the state of New Jersey. This is where the first sports bets in the state will be made as soon as New Jersey finalises the process of sports betting legalization.
As reported by Reuters, the boss of the US operations of William Hill has revealed that the CEO of one of the most successful US-based sports franchises has discussed the possibility of inking a commercial deal with the British bookmaker. Mr. Asher, however, refused to name the sports team in question.
William Hill is not the only British gambling operator that has been considering a US expansion. A few weeks ago the gambling giant Paddy Power Betfair revealed its decision to merge its US business with local fantasy sports operator FanDuel in an attempt to expand its US presence and boost its chances in terms of sports betting.
- Author
Olivia Cole
