Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, has revealed that US sports teams are knocking on the company’s door in significant numbers in search of sponsorship deals as legalised sports betting begins to take shape post-PASPA. He believes, regardless of the existing friction between the betting sector and the major sports leagues over data sharing, that there is a will for leagues and teams to strike commercial deals.
The remarks were made to Reuters this week with Asher telling the news agency that since the US Supreme Court issued its May ruling that opened the doors to legal sports wagering across the country, William Hill has been “inundated” with communications from teams reaching out to secure sponsorship deals.
Asher’s comments are timely given that the US has stepped things up a gear on the sports betting and online gaming fronts, with Delaware already open for legal wagering, and New Jersey following hot on its heels with its own first legal bet on Thursday this week. Added to that, aspirations for legalised poker and betting in Michigan received a fillip this week when the state’s House of Representatives passed the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. As a result, Detroit’s three casinos could be offering online gaming within 2 months.