It's high stakes for UK companies as sports betting starts to spread out in America.

From Tuesday, new guidelines on wagering came into result in Delaware, a small east coast state about 2 hours from Washington.

Neighbouring New Jersey could start accepting sports betting bets as early as Friday.

The modifications are the very first in what might become a wave of legalisation after the Supreme Court last month cleared the method for states to enable sports wagering.

The industry sees a "once in a generation" chance to develop a brand-new market in sports-mad America, said Dublin-based monetary expert David Jennings, who heads leisure research study at Davy.

For UK companies, which are grappling with consolidation, increased online competitors and tougher guidelines from UK regulators, the timing is particularly appropriate.

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But the market states counting on the US remains a dangerous bet, as UK business face complicated state-by-state policy and competition from entrenched local interests.

"It's something that we're really concentrating on, but similarly we do not wish to overhype it," stated James Midmer, spokesman at Paddy Power Betfair, which recently acquired the US fantasy sports site FanDuel.

'Take time'

The US represented about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in gaming earnings in 2015, according to a report by Technavio, external released in January.

Firms are hoping to tap into more of that activity after last month's decision, which struck down a 1992 federal law that disallowed states beyond Nevada and a few others from authorising sports wagering.

The ruling found the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not actually legalise sports betting, leaving that question to local legislators.

That is anticipated to result in substantial variation in how firms get certified, where sports wagering can happen, and which events are open to speculation - with big implications for the size of the market.

Potential income ranges from $4.2 bn to nearly $20bn annually depending upon factors like how lots of states transfer 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'", stated Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for experts KPMG.

Now, he stated: "I think the majority of people ... are taking a look at this as, 'it's a chance 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, forecasts that 32 states will legalise sports wagering in some form by 2023, creating a market with about $6bn in annual revenue.

But bookies deal with a far various landscape in America than they do in the UK, where betting shops are a regular sight.

US laws limited betting largely to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip until relatively just recently.

In the popular creativity, sports wagering has actually long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.

States have likewise been slow to legalise numerous types of online betting, regardless of a 2011 Justice Department viewpoint that appeared to eliminate barriers.

While sports betting wagering is typically 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 professor at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting policy.

David Carruthers is the former president of BetonSports, who was arrested in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served prison time.

Now an expert, he says UK firms need to approach the market thoroughly, picking partners with care and preventing errors that could cause regulator reaction.

"This is a chance for the American sports wagerer ... I'm unsure whether it is a chance for service," he states. "It really is reliant on the result of [state] legislation and how the service operators pursue the chance."

'It will be partnerships'

As legalisation begins, sports wagering companies are lobbying to ward off high tax rates, as well as demands by US sports leagues, which want to gather a percentage of profits as an "stability charge".

International companies deal with the included obstacle of an effective existing gaming industry, with gambling establishment operators, state-run lottos and Native American tribes that are seeking to protect their grass.

Analysts say UK companies will need to strike collaborations, offering their knowledge and technology in order to make inroads.

They point to SBTech's current statement that it is supplying technology for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the sort of offers most likely to materialise.

"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, chief executive at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.

The company has actually been investing in the US market because 2011, when it purchased 3 US firms to develop an existence in Nevada.

William Hill now uses about 450 individuals in the US and has actually announced collaborations with casinos in Iowa and New Jersey.

It works as risk supervisor for the Delaware Lottery and has invested millions along with a local developer in a New Jersey horse racing track.

Mr Asher stated William Hill has actually ended up being a household name in Nevada but that's not always the objective all over.

"We definitely mean to have a very substantial brand presence in New Jersey," he said. "In other states, it will simply depend upon guideline and potentially who our regional partner is."

"The US is going to be the most significant sports wagering market in the world," he included. "Obviously that's not going to occur on day one."