It's high stakes for UK firms as sports betting starts to spread in America.

From Tuesday, new rules on betting entered into result in Delaware, a tiny east coast state about two hours from Washington.

Neighbouring New Jersey could start accepting sports bets as early as Friday.

The modifications are the very first in what might end up being a wave of legalisation after the Supreme Court last month cleared the method for states to permit sports betting.

The industry sees a "when in a generation" chance to establish a new market in sports-mad America, said Dublin-based monetary expert David Jennings, who heads leisure research study at Davy.

For UK companies, which are grappling with consolidation, increased online competitors and tougher rules from UK regulators, the timing is particularly suitable.

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But the market states depending on the US stays a dangerous bet, as UK business face complicated state-by-state policy and competition from entrenched regional interests.

"It's something that we're truly concentrating on, but similarly we do not want to overhype it," said James Midmer, spokesperson at Paddy Power Betfair, which just recently purchased the US fantasy sports website FanDuel.

'Take time'

The US represented about 23% of the world's $244bn (₤ 182bn) in video gaming profits in 2015, according to a report by Technavio, external released in January.

Firms are wishing to take advantage of more of that activity after last month's choice, which struck down a 1992 federal law that disallowed states outside of Nevada and a couple of others from authorising sports betting.

The ruling discovered the law was an over-reach of federal power. But the court it did not actually legalise sports betting, leaving that question to local lawmakers.

That is anticipated to lead to considerable variation in how companies get certified, where sports wagering can occur, and which events are open to speculation - with huge ramifications for the size of the market.

Potential earnings ranges from $4.2 bn to practically $20bn each year depending on elements like how many states relocate to legalise, Oxford Economics approximated in a 2017 study for the American Gaming Association.

"There was a great deal of 'this is going to be substantial'", stated Will Hawkley, London-based head of leisure for experts KPMG.

Now, he said: "I believe the majority of 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, handling director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, predicts that 32 states will legalise sports betting in some form by 2023, creating a market with about $6bn in annual earnings.

But bookies face a far various landscape in America than they do in the UK, where betting stores are a frequent sight.

US laws limited gaming mainly to Native American lands and Nevada's Las Vegas strip till fairly recently.

In the popular creativity, sports wagering has long been connected to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal.

States have actually also been slow to legalise many forms of online gambling, despite a 2011 Justice Department opinion that appeared to remove challenges.

While sports betting is generally seen in its own category, "it clearly stays to be seen whether it gets the sort of momentum people believe it will," stated Keith Miller, law professor at Drake University and co-author of a book about sports betting guideline.

David Carruthers is the previous president of BetonSports, who was detained in the US in 2006 for running an offshore online sportsbook and served prison time.

Now a consultant, he says UK firms ought to approach the marketplace thoroughly, selecting partners with caution and avoiding errors that could result in regulator reaction.

"This is a chance for the American sports wagerer ... I'm unsure whether it is a chance for business," he states. "It actually depends on the outcome of [state] legislation and how the organization operators pursue the chance."

'It will be collaborations'

As legalisation starts, sports betting companies are lobbying to fend off high tax rates, as well as demands by US sports leagues, which wish to gather a portion of income as an "stability charge".

International business deal with the added difficulty of an effective existing gaming industry, with casino operators, state-run lotteries and Native American people that are seeking to protect their turf.

Analysts state UK companies will need to strike partnerships, using their expertise and technology in order to make inroads.

They point to SBTech's recent announcement that it is offering technology for Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs as an example of the type of deals most likely to materialise.

"It will be a win-win for everybody, but it will be partnerships and it will be driven by innovation," Mr Hawkley said.

'It will just depend'

Joe Asher, chief executive at William Hill US, is clear-eyed about the realities.

The company has been buying the US market because 2011, when it purchased 3 US firms to develop a presence in Nevada.

William Hill now utilizes about 450 people in the US and has actually revealed partnerships with casinos in Iowa and New Jersey.

It works as threat supervisor for the Delaware Lottery and has invested millions together with a local designer in a New Jersey horse racing track.

Mr Asher stated William Hill has become a household name in Nevada but that's not always the goal all over.

"We definitely intend to have a very significant brand presence in New Jersey," he stated. "In other states, it will simply depend on guideline and possibly who our local partner is."

"The US is going to be the biggest sports wagering market on the planet," he added. "Obviously that's not going to happen on the first day."