On Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended that South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa be issued an interactive gaming license.
South Point stands to be the first casino to receive a license to offer online poker in the US when the Nevada Gaming Commission convenes on August 23. They are expected to receive interactive gaming licenses as both an operator and a manufacturer.
Not only will South Point be offering online poker in Nevada, they have also developed their own software platform. Though South Point has been offering play-money poker through the ZEN Entertainment Network, they will use a new software product developed in-house when it goes live this fall. Independent testing of the software has already passed its first stage, the second phase is expected to begin later this month.
If all goes well, the online poker software will be presented to the Control Board for final approval before going live this fall. Once the Board signs off, South Point will pay a $500k license fee and Nevada online poker, open to all residents and tourists in the state, will commence.
The Control Board also conditionally recommended Monarch Casino and Resort, Inc. for a interactive operator license. Monarch has not developed its own online poker software solution and has yet to secure a software partner.
Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc. also received a recommendation for a license as an interactive gaming service provider and is expected to be the first third-party payment processor approved to handle online poker transactions in Nevada.
Three other companies, Bally Technologies, International Game Technology (IGT) and Shuffle Master, have already received interactive gaming licenses and expect to provide online poker services to brick-and-mortar casinos currently in the application process.
