William Hill's move into US market stalls in Nevada

The state's Gaming Control Board meets every month to vote on new applications and it is understood that William Hill's application has not been included on the May agenda, despite a vote being widely expected by now. The UK-based company is making the application after last year's announcement that it will acquire three Nevada sports betting companies: American Wagering, Brandywine and Cal Neva Sportsbook.

One Nevada source close to the process said: "We were definitely expecting this on the GCB agenda in April or May. There seem to be a couple of issues the GCB needs to explore."

Last year, the bookmaker's CEO, Ralph Topping, said the Nevada vote could be taken this spring, while just seven weeks ago the company implied the licence approval was imminent. "Our application is currently being reviewed and we believe the process could complete by the summer of 2012," it told shareholders in late February.

William Hill insisted that it had "always said" that approval would be gained by October, but declined to explain the other statements. A spokesman added: "We said that this process would take between 12 to 18 months and we believe that a decision will be made in that timeframe. We are fully complying with the whole process and have no further comment to make."

To gain the licence, an application must be approved by the three-strong committee on Nevada's GCB, which then passes the case to the Gaming Commission to be rubber-stamped. GCB insiders said it was not uncommon for applications from international companies to take two years or more to be heard.