The Nevada Gaming Control Board today gave the OK for a trio of companies to operate online poker in the Silver State.
Boyd Gaming, Golden Nugget and Fertitta Interactive joined the growing list of companies with online poker licenses of some form in Nevada.
Long before the approval, Boyd Gaming partnered with bwin.party, the parent company of PartyPoker, to use its software in the development of an intrastate online poker site.
But it will not launch until bwin.party also receives a Nevada license, and there has been no public hearing on bwin.party’s application.
Boyd maintains three downtown Las Vegas casinos—the California and Fremont Hotels and Main Street Station—along with Sam’s Town, the Gold Coast and Suncoast and a 50 percent share of The Borgata in Atlantic City.
Golden Nugget (GNLV Corp.) also was approved for a license to operate online poker. The company has a deal with Bally Technologies, which has been approved to supply online poker network infrastructure for other clients.
Anticipating a real-money online poker site under the Ultimate Gaming brand, Fertitta was approved to operate as an online gaming service provider.
About a year ago, Fertitta Interactive purchased software provider CyberArts. The principal owners of Vegas-based Fertitta own a 45% share in Station Casinos.
Today’s approvals bring the total of online poker licenses to 11. The other companies licensed are: WMS Gaming Inc., American Casino & Entertainment Properties, Shuffle Master, International Game Technology, South Point Poker, Monarch Interactive, Bally Technologies, Global Cash Access.
Nevada has also issued a license to online poker affiliate PokerTrip Enterprises.
South Point received the first license, and was expected to launch this month, but after reports of delays in testing and negotiations with Nevada officials that debut could be postponed to December or early next year.
