William Hill gets U.S. gaming licencegamb

GIBRALTAR (Agencies) With an important presence on the Rock, one of the world's largest gambling outfits, is ready to be rewarded with a licence to operate in the United States. This follows the award of a licence by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which leads to another two such permits elsewhere in the US. Britain's largest bookmaker had announced last year that it would be buying American companies (AWI, Brandywine and Cal Neva), on condition that it was granted the licences to operate. The purchases are expected to have been completed by the end of this week. There is of course a lot of work ahead and the companies will not be in full operation for another couple of years. In the meantime they can begin offering sports betting on mobile devices. This is considered a prime market but, more importantly, it opens the door, eventually, to be first in line when legal restrictions on online gambling are lifted, which may not be too long in coming, according to some in the know.