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UK Bookmaker, William Hill, has made the decision to stop taking any casino or poker bets from customers who are in the U.S. The decision is a repercussion from recent legislation and activity in the United States regarding playing poker and gambling online. David Harding, the chief executive of William Hill, said they would begin taking bets from customers in the U.S, or more specifically, customers using American addresses or US-issued credit cards, as soon as the laws governing online gambling and gaming have been resolved. Although it is still not illegal to take customers from the U.S, Harding has decided to take what is in his opinion, “the prudent course of action.” This comes after the high profile arrests of gaming executives and a movement within the United States legal system to illegalize online gaming and poker. Harding said “Our legal advice was and is that it is legal to accept online poker and casino in the US. But with all the things that have been happening we decided it was the prudent thing to do.” William Hill maintains that cutting US customers off would not have a large affect on its business. Harding is quoted as saying suspending bets would have a “de-minimis” effect on their revenue. Only ?1 Million gross is generated from US business which accounts for only 1 per cent of its online gaming revenue.
Matthew Gerard, an analyst at Investec Securities, based out of London said the following; “It's an easy decision for William Hill to make, because it's quite an insignificant business for them and their archrival Ladbrokes doesn't take any U.S. bets.”
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