It's high stakes for UK companies as sports betting starts to spread out in America.
From Tuesday, brand-new guidelines on betting entered into effect in Delaware, a small east coast state about two hours from Washington.
Neighbouring New Jersey might begin 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 way for states to permit sports betting.
The industry sees a "once in a generation" opportunity to develop a new market in sports-mad America, stated Dublin-based monetary analyst David Jennings, who heads leisure research at Davy.
For UK companies, which are grappling with consolidation, increased online competitors and harder guidelines from UK regulators, the timing is especially suitable.
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But the market states counting on the US remains a risky bet, as UK business face complex state-by-state guideline and competitors from entrenched local interests.
"It's something that we're truly focusing on, but similarly we do not wish to overhype it," stated James Midmer, spokesman at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently purchased the US fantasy sports site FanDuel.
'Require time'
The US accounted for about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in gaming income in 2015, according to a report by Technavio, external released in January.
Firms are intending to tap into more of that activity after last month's decision, which struck down a 1992 federal law that barred states outside of Nevada and a couple of others from authorising sports betting.
The judgment discovered the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not actually legalise sports betting wagering, leaving that concern to regional lawmakers.
That is anticipated to lead to significant variation in how companies get certified, where sports betting wagering can take place, and which events are open to speculation - with huge implications for the size of the marketplace.
Potential earnings varieties from $4.2 bn to nearly $20bn yearly depending upon factors like the number of states move to legalise, Oxford Economics estimated in a 2017 research study for the American Gaming Association.
"There was a great deal of 'this is going to be substantial'", said Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for consultants KPMG.
Now, he stated: "I believe many 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 take some time'."
'Remains to be seen"
Chris Grove, managing director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, forecasts that 32 states will legalise sports betting wagering in some type by 2023, developing a market with about $6bn in yearly income.
But bookmakers deal with a far various landscape in America than they perform in the UK, where wagering shops are a regular sight.
US laws restricted betting mostly to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip till fairly recently.
In the popular imagination, sports betting wagering has long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.
States have likewise been sluggish to legalise numerous forms of online gambling, in spite of a 2011 Justice Department viewpoint that appeared to remove barriers.
While sports betting wagering is generally viewed in its own category, "it plainly stays to be seen whether it gets the type of momentum people believe it will," stated Keith Miller, law teacher at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting wagering regulation.
David Carruthers is the former primary executive 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 firms ought to approach the market thoroughly, selecting partners with caution and preventing missteps that could lead to regulator backlash.
"This is a chance for the American sports bettor ... I'm unsure whether it is a chance for organization," he states. "It actually is reliant on the result of [state] legislation and how the business operators pursue the chance."
'It will be collaborations'
As legalisation starts, sports betting wagering companies are lobbying to fend off high tax rates, along with demands by US sports betting leagues, which wish to gather a percentage of revenue as an "integrity fee".
International companies face the included challenge of an effective existing video gaming industry, with gambling establishment operators, state-run lotteries and Native American people that are looking for to defend their turf.
Analysts say UK firms will need to strike collaborations, offering their knowledge and technology in order to make inroads.
They indicate SBTech's recent statement that it is providing innovation for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the type of offers likely to materialise.
"It will be a win-win for everybody, however it will be collaborations and it will be driven by technology," Mr Hawkley stated.
'It will simply depend'
Joe Asher, president at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the truths.
The business has been buying the US market because 2011, when it bought 3 US firms to establish a presence in Nevada.
William Hill now employs about 450 individuals in the US and has actually announced collaborations 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 designer in a New Jersey horse racing track.
Mr Asher stated William Hill has actually ended up being a family name in Nevada however that's not always the goal everywhere.
"We certainly plan to have a very significant brand name presence in New Jersey," he said. "In other states, it will simply depend on guideline and potentially who our regional partner is."
"The US is going to be the most significant sports betting wagering market on the planet," he included. "Obviously that's not going to occur on the first day."
