NHL embraces more betting with 3rd gambling operator

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The NHL has announced its third partnership with a sports gambling operator, a deal with William Hill.

The league previously into entered deals with FanDuel and MGM. All three companies have been designated as “official sports betting partners” of the NHL.

The moves reflect the quickly changing landscape surrounding sports betting. Last May, the Supreme Court ruled that states were free to make sports betting legal if they chose, striking down a law that had essentially limited legal sportsbooks to Nevada.

Sports betting is now legal in eight states, and William Hill runs sports books in Nevada, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

The league announced the deal Thursday morning, a few hours before Commissioner Gary Bettman was scheduled to speak at a sports gambling summit organized by a casino-industry group.