The real world costs of operating US sports betting in a fully legal market were given special attention by Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, during last week’s GiGse conference in Miami. Asher was speaking as part of a panel that was tasked with examining how transforming legal betting on sports might be for the US gaming landscape. Explaining some of the cost implications, he told delegates: “I’d like to drill down a little bit more on tax rates to help explain it. There’s a quarter point handle on the tax from the IRS that partially translates into five…

When the Vegas Golden Knights score their second goal against the Edmonton Oilers—a nifty midair redirection of a shot from the blue line—the foghorn blasts and chants of “Go Knights go!” take a couple of minutes to die down. It’s a Thursday night in February at the new, 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. “They have cost us a lot of money,” says Joe Asher, who’s watching in a suite above center ice in blue jeans and a half-zip fleece. Asher, chief executive officer of William Hill US, oversees the largest collection of sportsbooks…

The PGA Tour would welcome legalized and regulated US sports betting on its competitions if the Supreme Court overturns the federal ban that prohibits such bets in most states. “You have keep in mind that betting is happening right now, with illegal black markets and offshore betting, and we don’t have any exposure to what is happening,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told USA TODAY Sports in his first public comments on the issue. “If it’s legalized and regulated, you get to a point where you can better ensure the integrity of your competitions. You can provide adequate protection for…

US Sports betting in states outside of Nevada may be nearing reality. But that doesn’t mean it will be a business success. Even as major professional sports leagues like the National Basketball Association open their eyes to the multibillion-dollar opportunity with the sports wager industry, their ideas on how to get a piece of the action may impede the ability to attract gamblers away from illegal betting and offshore markets. The NBA, in particular, is being “short-sighted” in requesting a 1 percent cut on all bets, says Twitter v.p. of Analytics Jeff Ma. Ma, who was one of the leaders…

Illegal sports betting now accounts for an annual $196 billion, or 97%, of all US sports betting, according to a new analysis by the gambling sector’s leading market data provider, H2 Gambling Capital, exclusively provided to iGaming Business. The £196 billion handle calculated for 2016 in H2’s ‘deep dive analysis’ (paywall) is substantially higher than the widely publicized $150bn figure previously published by the American Gaming Association. The 97% figure produced by iGaming Business’ principal data partner also far outstrips recent International Center for Sport Security/University of Sorbonne Paris estimates that 80% of global bets are made illegally. Of this…

As in years past, football fans who like a little bit of action can pick NFL games at Calder Casino: It’s a far cry from sports gambling, but it’s the best casino option we have. That may change, according to the American Gaming Association and legal experts. They see a day when sports betting is legal at casinos everywhere and point to a case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports wagering. The case could bring about the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), that Congress passed in…