William Hill, a U.K based betting company, has agreed to a 2 year extension of its sponsorship of the Scottish Cup through the Scottish Football Association. This deal is worth in excess of $1 million and will permit William Hill to promote its online, mobile and retail gambling products to fans of football around the world.

Kristof Fahy, who is the Chief Marketing Officer for William Hill stated “It is a honor for William Hill to be associated with such a fine organization. Our continued sponsorship of the Scottish Club is something we are most proud of as it is the oldest trophy that can be won in the world of football. We look forward to the new agreement and to working closely with football fans, the clubs and the F.A to make this the best possible competition that it can be”

Stewart Regan, the CEO of the Scottish Football Association said, “We are thrilled with the continued partnership that we have with William Hill and are pleased by their further commitment to football in Scotland by their extension of the contract. We all believe that this partnership has and will continue to be a benefit to the competition. During these difficult economic times it is comforting to see such an established company like William Hill show their dedication to the game we all love”

MGM, a large land based casino operate has stated that is will take a slower approach to the new laws permitting online poker in Nevada and New Jersey. It is reported to believe that they are unsure if the market is large enough to justify the capital expenses that will be required to offer its services online.

It is reported that the online poker industry could be worth as much as $250 million each year for the state. While speaking with Reuters MGM representative Dan D’Arrigo stated that “We have yet to rule it out but we also have yet to make a commitment to entering the market wither”

However MGM has been granted a license in New Jersey. This is the larger of the two markets with annual revenues worth as much as $1 billion. One would think the Vegas market would be worth more yet the opposite is true. MGM representative D’Arrigo stated that it is their preference that something will be enacted at a federal level and not be individual state as it makes it a far more complicated and costly endeavor to enter the market. As each state will be unique it what is can generate it will leave poker players in the lurch without federal laws in place.

This will be something of interest to follow as more developments occur.