William Hill Acquires US Sportsbook

William Hill Acquires US Sportsbook American Wagering has been pushing smartphone technology in sports betting.

By John W | Apr 20, 2011

William Hill is acquiring 100 percent of the Nevada-based sportsbook American Wagering, increasing the British gambling firm's push into the US market.

Match Made for Mobile Gaming

The announcement of the acquisition should be interesting from the perspective of mobile gambling, as American Wagering chief Vic Salerno has been pushing smartphone technology for quite some time as a way to expand the sports betting market in the US state.

In fact, the Nevada Gaming Control Board recently approved the Leroy's app for Android operating devices, which allows gamblers to place their bets on their smartphones while inside the state. This followed previous approval for similar wagering on Blackberry smartphone devices.

Significant Opportunities in USA

William Hill CEO Ralph Topping said called American Wagering a "first class operator and leader in the US sportsbook industry," and said that his company sees big opportunities for investing in Nevada.

The move comes at a time when internet gambling could go either way in the States. Although there has been growing speculation of late that the federal government will expand the market and open up new opportunities for foreign sportsbooks and other gaming companies, this also comes at the same time as a crackdown by federal authorities on online poker sites.

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