It's high stakes for UK firms as sports wagering starts to spread out in America.
From Tuesday, brand-new rules on betting entered into impact 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 modifications 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 permit sports betting.
The industry sees a "when in a generation" opportunity to establish a new market in sports betting-mad America, stated Dublin-based financial analyst David Jennings, who heads leisure research study at Davy.
For UK companies, which are coming to grips with debt consolidation, increased online competition and tougher guidelines from UK regulators, the timing is particularly opportune.
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But the market says depending on the US stays a risky bet, as UK business deal with complex state-by-state guideline and competition from entrenched local interests.
"It's something that we're truly concentrating on, but equally we do not wish to overhype it," stated James Midmer, spokesman at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently bought the US dream sports website 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 struck down a 1992 federal law that disallowed states beyond Nevada and a couple of others from authorising sports wagering.
The judgment discovered the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not really legalise sports wagering, leaving that concern to local legislators.
That is anticipated to lead to substantial variation in how companies get certified, where sports betting can take place, and which events are open to speculation - with huge implications for the size of the marketplace.
Potential revenue ranges from $4.2 bn to practically $20bn each year depending on elements like how numerous states move to legalise, Oxford Economics estimated in a 2017 study for the American Gaming Association.
"There was a lot of 'this is going to be substantial'", said Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for consultants KPMG.
Now, he stated: "I believe the majority 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 require time'."
'Remains to be seen"
Chris Grove, handling director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, predicts that 32 states will legalise sports betting in some type by 2023, developing a market with about $6bn in yearly revenue.
But bookies face a far different landscape in America than they perform in the UK, where wagering shops are a frequent sight.
US laws minimal gaming mainly to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip up until relatively recently.
In the popular imagination, sports betting has long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.
States have likewise been sluggish to legalise lots of forms of online gambling, regardless of a 2011 Justice Department opinion that appeared to remove challenges.
While sports betting is normally seen in its own category, "it clearly remains to be seen whether it gets the type of momentum individuals believe it will," stated Keith Miller, law teacher at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting wagering policy.
David Carruthers is the former president of BetonSports, who was apprehended in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served jail time.
Now a consultant, he states UK companies must approach the market carefully, selecting partners with care and avoiding errors that might lead to regulator backlash.
"This is an opportunity for the American sports wagerer ... I'm not exactly sure whether it is an opportunity for business," he says. "It really depends on the result of [state] legislation and how the service operators pursue the chance."
'It will be collaborations'
As legalisation begins, sports betting companies are lobbying to ward off high tax rates, in addition to demands by US sports leagues, which desire to collect a portion of earnings as an "integrity fee".
International companies deal with the included difficulty of a powerful existing video gaming industry, with gambling establishment operators, state-run lottery games and Native American people that are looking for to protect their grass.
Analysts say UK companies will require to strike collaborations, providing their knowledge and innovation in order to make inroads.
They point to SBTech's recent announcement that it is offering technology for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the kind of offers likely to materialise.
"It will be a win-win for everyone, but it will be collaborations and it will be driven by technology," Mr Hawkley stated.
'It will just depend'
Joe Asher, primary executive at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.
The business has been buying the US market since 2011, when it purchased three US companies to develop a presence in Nevada.
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 manager for the Delaware Lottery and has actually invested millions along with a local developer in a New Jersey horse racing track.
Mr Asher stated William Hill has ended up being a household name in Nevada however that's not necessarily the goal everywhere.
"We certainly intend to have a very considerable brand existence in New Jersey," he stated. "In other states, it will just depend on regulation and possibly who our regional partner is."
"The US is going to be the biggest sports wagering market in the world," he included. "Obviously that's not going to take place on the first day."
