The Nevada Gaming Control Board yesterday recommended 888’s application for a interactive service provider licence.
The Nevada Gaming Commission will make the final decision on the Gibraltar-headquartered operator’s application at its next meeting on 21 March.
The three-man Control Board spent almost the entire two-hour hearing grilling 888 CEO Brian Mattingley and CFO Aviad Kobrin, devoting just a few minutes to the application of Nevada land-based operator Treasure Island, for which 888 will provide its software platform and effectively run the company’s online poker offshoot.
The attorney for the Caribbean pirate-themed Vegas resort (pictured above) told regulators the company “just hopes to collect the money”, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Control board chair AG Burnett concluded that he was “impressed” with the quality of the corporate applicants, finding all key executives and controlling shareholders suitable.
Conditional to licensing, 888 will also power Caesars’ WSOP brand in Nevada – at least until Caesars has readied the proprietary platform it is co-developing with Barrière - as well as provide software to gaming machine supplier WMS.
Attorney Gil White, representing 888, admitted the company had offered non-sports betting to US players prior to passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in October 2006, having received advice “it was not unlawful” to do so, but told regulators they had blocked access within 24 hours of the bill becoming law, reported the LVRJ.
The Silver State last month expedited through a law to allow its online poker operators to eventually offer games in other US states which enter into compact agreements, aimed at allowing licensees to overcome the limited liquidity within Nevada and to build competitive online businesses.
Nevada has less than three million permanent residents, insufficient to sustain a viable intrastate poker business among the 13 companies already fully licensed as operators by the Silver State.
New Jersey is now vying with Nevada to become the regulatory and business hub of the online gaming industry in the US. Governor Chris Christie last week signed legislation to enable Atlantic City’s 12 land-based casinos to offer online versions of all their games, not just poker. Delaware has also passed enabling legislation.
Article written by Stephen Carter
