William Hill is one of the largest sportsbetting operators in the United Kingdom, but the company has had its eye on the American market for quite some time. The operator has purchase three Nevada-based sportsbooks and has just finalized a deal with Bet Smart Media, a Canadian gaming company, which help to solidify William’s Hill place in the North American gambling market.
Bet Smart Media will power William Hill’s new American-facing online gambling website, WilliamHill.us. The site is the first step that William Hill is making into the American gambling market and is the re-branded identity of three American bookmakers: American Wagering, Brandywine Bookmaking, and the Club Cal Neva Satellite Race and Sportsbook Division. With these three companies under William Hill’s belt, the operator now has control of 55% of Nevada’s gaming market.
Three other European operators applied for licenses and received preliminary approval, but William Hill skipped this part of the process simply by acquiring three local companies. So, when online gambling is finally legalized in Nevada, William Hill will be ready to offer its services to state residents almost immediately.
“This site gives us – by far – most dynamic web presence of any U.S. sports book operator,” says William Hill Market Director Dan Shapiro. “Bet Smart has been a first-class partner every step of the way, developing a clean, fresh design and excellent functionality”.
This new development puts William Hill far ahead of the competition in the American gambling market. While IGT, Shuffle Master and Bwin.Party have all received preliminary approval, none of these companies have launched American-facing websites or made any acquisitions. Now owning the majority of Nevada’s sportsbetting market, William Hill has a definite advantage over its competitors. It seems that now is the time for international operators to ramp up their efforts if they want to see success in the American gambling market.
