The US Supreme Court’s invalidation of a key federal gambling statute – the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act – has triggered a modern goldrush by domestic US and international casino, wagering, sports betting and even tech companies to establish a foothold in the legal mainstream sports betting markets which are likely to eventuate.
For those seeking a career in sports gambling there has never been a more exciting time to consider opportunities to work in the US.
Are you an Australian citizen, university qualified and have previous experience in the Australian wagering or sports gambling market?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then you are well positioned to be 1 of 10,500 Australians each year that has exclusive access to be sponsored for an E3 Visa and makes you an ideal candidate to build a career in the biggest sports gambling market in the world.[1]
Visit Latest Jobs to browse and apply for open job opportunities with BettingRecruitment or read on to find out more.
Background
On 14 May 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 violated the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution.
The ruling itself did not legalise sports gambling or online wagering but rather deemed it illegal for the US Federal Government to order particular states to disallow sports gambling. Individual states are now free to pass laws that will legalise sports gambling within their borders and some have immediately started this process in earnest, recognising it as a key pillar to increasing state revenues.[2]
On 5 June 2018, Delaware began offering single-game sports gambling across various sports at three race tracks. On 11 June 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the sports betting bill and first bets were handled by William Hill at the Monmouth Park racetrack on 14 June 2018.[3]
The trend will continue.
Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia have already enacted laws to enable sports gambling. Finalisation of the regulatory framework for operators to follow in each state is now the final step to commencement of operations.
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina will not be far behind. Each state has issued kick-starter legislation and is making progress towards legalisation.
The market and changing landscape
Around the globe, gambling on US sports is commonplace. However, until recently within the US it has only been legal to bet at licensed sportsbooks situated at casinos in Nevada.
As a result, illegal sports gambling, via unlicensed local operators and those established online and domiciled in the Caribbean and Central America, has grown to represent up to over 90% of the total turnover wagered on US sports by Americans. This is an enormous sum with the US market estimated to eventually turnover (legal and illegal) somewhere between US$67bn and US$150bn per annum – making it the single largest sports gambling market in the world and at least 7x-15x the size of the existing Australian market.[4]
The operating model
Initial operating models in Delaware and New Jersey along with proposals from West Virginia and Pennsylvania have focused on licensing a limited number of companies to operate sports gambling within existing race tracks and casinos. This is seen by many as a sensible interim step to act within the confines of existing wagering establishment prior to continuing liberalisation which is likely to lead to off-track outlets and online offerings as seen in Australia and the UK.
Despite being in its infancy, initial screenings to secure a license to operate in the new US markets have focused on the ability for operators and their employees to demonstrate a proven track record of experience and compliance in other regulated markets globally. The level of regulation that will be implemented throughout the US remains unclear, however, in light of the country’s advanced social, economic, political and legal systems as well as the existing requirement to limit offerings to gamblers on a state by state basis, these factors provide strong leading indicators that a high level of future regulation is to be expected.
For this reason, Australians with sports gambling and wagering experience represent a highly attractive labour pool from which to recruit employees who amongst other things are familiar with:
- Permit and licensing requirements
- Record keeping and reporting
- Taxation (turnover tax, point of consumption tax, corporate tax)
- Marketing and advertising (promotions, social media, advertising regulations)
- Market integrity measures
- Stakeholder engagement
- Responsible gambling considerations (including customer credit, deposit and bet limits and self-exclusion)
- Gambling related IT services and infrastructure
- Trading and risk management
Career opportunities
Establishment of ‘new’ sports gambling operations within each US state will require a full suite of experienced employees across multiple operators to fill roles largely consistent with those under the Australian operating model.
Our early experience demonstrates that the unique skills developed in Australia are transferrable to the US and therefore you need to be asking yourself, “why should I pursue a career in the US sports gambling market?”
The answers are simple and at BettingRecruitment we are here to make it happen.
- The US sports gambling market is the biggest in the world
- The US sports gambling market is in its infancy and needs employees with experience
- The US sports gambling market is expected to undergo enormous advancement in the near term which will provide opportunities for long term career progression and wages growth
- The Australian market has undergone significant recent consolidation and automation which will inevitably lead to contraction in jobs, promotions and salaries
- Australians and their spouses have priority access to the E3 visa; and
- America is a great place to live, enjoy sports and raise a family.
Click through to the Latest Jobs to review job descriptions for some of the critical roles we are looking to fill in the US market or browse and apply for open job opportunities. Feel free to get in contact with us at info@bettingrecruitment.com.
[1] http://www.h1base.com/content/e3visa
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2018/05/16/explaining-the-supreme-courts-recent-sports-betting-decision/#d5ba6d9537cb
[3] http://www.espn.com.au/chalk/story/_/id/19740480/gambling-sports-betting-bill-tracker-all-50-states
[4] https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/latest-edition-australian-gambling-statistics/
