Caesars launches freeplay Nevada poker site
Operator accepting player registrations ahead of expected real-money launch this summer
Caesars Interactive Entertainment has moved a step closer to launching real-money poker in Nevada by allowing players to download its WSOP.com client and sign up for freeplay games.
Yesterday’s launch, which was timed to coincide with the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, is expected to be followed by a real-money launch by the end of the summer on the same platform.
Caesars received a Nevada operating licence last year and software partner 888 has suggested the launch could come as soon as Q3.
888 chief executive Brian Mattingley said a ‘field trial’ was likely to take place in “late summer” before a full roll-out “in Q3 and Q4″.
CIE, which is part of Caesars Entertainment’s Growth Partners division, began offering players the opportunity to beta-test its real-money software last month.
The full launch wasn’t without its problems with two players able to access real-money play for a short time due to a “technical glitch” which has since been “corrected”, according to a WSOP.com spokesman on the twoplustwo forums.
Players signing up from Nevada have been requested to provide Social Security details and a mobile phone number, according to independent player reports, with players required to respond to a text message in order to verify that they are located within the state.
Real-money play is not restricted to Nevada residents, meaning out-of-state players can sign up for the sites, but players must be physically located within the state’s boundaries to access the games.
So far, Fertitta Interactive brand Ultimate Poker is the only site to go live for real-money poker in Nevada, however several other operators – including Boyd Gaming, Golden Nugget and American Casino Entertainment Properties have been awarded licences by the Nevada Gaming Commission.