William Hill has confirmed the expansion of its Nevada sportsbooks in light of solid results for the company and the betting sector in the state growing.
William Hill Sales Nevada’s Sportsbook
William Hill got the go-ahead by Nevada to expand its sportsbooks, adding seven new venues for Nevada residents to place their sports wagers at. Along with approving of William Hill’s expansion, regulators have altered the existing regulation to allow the company to take wagers from other states as well.
The agenda was quite busy, but Nevada’s Control Board meeting featured this excerpt as a stated purpose:
To authorize out-of-state sports, non-pari-mutuel, and
other event wagers if such wagers are legal under the other state’s law and federal law; to modify marketing plan
approvals
How would this play out in the long term, though? The Department of Justice (DoJ) has recently reversed its Wire Act 1963 Opinion of 2013, meaning that exchanges of data across states would be even more of a challenge than they presently are.
In fact, the activity can be considered illegal insofar as sports betting is concerned. As a result of DoJ’s ruling, the shared liquidity for poker games between states can also be threatened.
Nevada Gaming Commission Steps Up Its Efforts
Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), however, has been on the move, changing existing laws to accommodate cross-state wagering, although only in theory. This doesn’t mean that the Commission advises operators to start taking wagers from other states’ bettors, as this could be met with legal repercussion from DoJ’s Office.
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At the same time, the Commission has been tinkering with existing legislation to better protect users’ private information. For example, sportbooks and casinos need only collect the last four digits of a customer’s social security number. Only customers who have won over $1,200 per single casino session would be requested their social security.
Differentiating Between Sport and Virtual Events
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) will also differentiate between several types of sporting events, including amateur, professional and virtual – a term most likely used to refer to the rise of competitive video gaming, more commonly known as esports.
It’s still unclear whether the NGCB will approve the online measure, which remains one of the most important stepping-stones for the development of William Hill in the United States, having already successfully introduced mobile apps in the past.
Meanwhile, the company is preparing to launch properties across Las Vegas and Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Reno, and close to the border with California where sports betting remains largely under the thumb of tribes and opposing politicians, and sportsbooks not overly keen to enter the local market, preferring to instead siphon off customers from across the border.
William Hill’s Road to U.S. Expansion
Given the mounting pressure back at home (2018 began with a £6.2 fine issued by the UK Gambling Commission), William Hill’s U.S. expansion seems even more urgent than before. The government crackdown on Fixed-Betting Odds Terminals (FOBTs) and the hike of tax (up to 21%) have made the Old Continent a rather less hospitable place for businesses to thrive.
In honesty, though, William Hill has not been entirely pressured, although it did post results 15% lower than 2018. Still, the climate at home remains lucrative, but William Hill knows that the company needs to diversify its portfolio. The promising new U.S. market might be just what it needs.