Gamble of the week: A bet for the brave

This British bookie is making strides in the US market - a great tip for investors looking for a riskier punt, says Paul Hill.

Christmas came two days early for the online gambling sector. On 23 December, news broke that the US Justice Department has reversed its long-held opposition to internet betting. Although its legal ruling dealt mainly with lottery tickets, it also opened the door for online poker, casino and bingo. That's a potential game-changer for William Hill, Britain's leading bookie with a portfolio of 2,300 British betting shops.

The board saw this day coming long ago last year it cleverly built up an initial US beach-head by forking out $55m on three local businesses. Assuming the full regulatory green light is given, William Hill will have a chance to exploit its first-class online division, where volumes are rocketing 25% annually. The total American market is worth around $10bn in yearly sales.

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Paul gained a degree in electrical engineering and went on to qualify as a chartered management accountant. He has extensive corporate finance and investment experience and is a member of the Securities Institute.

Over the past 16 years Paul has held top-level financial management and M&A roles for blue-chip companies such as O2, GKN and Unilever. He is now director of his own capital investment and consultancy firm, PMH Capital Limited.

Paul is an expert at analysing companies in new, fast-growing markets, and is an extremely shrewd stock-picker.