Las Vegas’ South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa’s hopes to be the first Nevada-based “brick and mortar” casino offering real-money online poker received a boost this week when the Nevada Gaming Commission announced the next round of applicants to be vetted in upcoming suitability hearings.
South Point Poker will be the first applicant scrutinized by the NGC in its next hearing, on Wednesday, August 8. South Point will be represented at the hearing by owner Michael Gaughan, who has been one of the leading proponents of online poker among the spectrum of Nevada casino interests.
In line with its plans to operate on its own proprietary software, South Point has filed multiple applications regarding its hoped-for future offering of online poker, including Operator of Interactive Gaming, Manufacturer of an Interactive Gaming System and Provider of Interactive Gaming Services. Gaughan has also applied for an individual license as sole manager of the South Point Poker brand.
If all aspects of the multiple South Point applications pass muster, the final approval should be little more than a formality, allowing South Point to continue with its ongoing system tests.
Other entities in addition to South Point are on the NGC’s latest agenda. Reno’s Monarch Casino has also applied for online licensure via its new Monarch Interactive, Inc. subsidiary and will go through its initial suitability hearing on the same day.
Global Cash Access, Inc. (GCA), a provider of ATM kiosks for many casinos and other businesses, will also seek preliminary approval as another provider of interactive gaming services, presumably in adapting its card-processing capabilities to online-poker on behalf of its client sites.
