UK bookies beware: US will look after its own in betting revolution

Legalisation of sports betting in US should be greeted with caution by UK operators

The estimate that $150bn-worth (110bn) of sports bets are placed illegally in the US every year may be exaggerated but nobody doubts the true figure is enormous. That it is why it is mystifying that the US, or most of it, has held out so long against legalisation. Money - in the form of easy tax revenues - usually beats puritan scruples in the US.

Now, finally, the door has opened. The US supreme court has struck down the federal ban on sports betting, paving the way for a mini revolution. Each state will have to pass its own legislation and many may still confine betting to casinos and racecourses. Others, though, may allow betting via mobile phones, in which case large parts of the US could eventually look very European, and specifically British, in their approach.

Related: UK bookmaker values surpass 1.5bn as sports betting is set to be legal in US