Licensed online poker draws closer in the US

South Point Poker and Monarch Interactive are expected to officially become the first licensed online poker operators in the US tomorrow, when their applications are heard by Nevada’s Gaming Commission (NGC).

Both Vegas-based firms gained approval from the Silver State’s Gaming Control Board (GCB) earlier this month and, as existing gaming licence holders, are expected to meet little opposition from the Gaming Commission.

GCB chairman Mark Lipparelli said earlier this week that while he cannot predict how the Gaming Commission will view South Point and Monarch’s applications, being an existing licensee which has been found suitable to operate in the state “is normally a positive for an applicant”.

Of the two operators, South Point Poker appears closest to launching a real-money online poker site, having told eGR NA in July that its technology had entered the second stage of testing at one of Nevada’s licensed independent testing labs (ITL).

South Point Poker’s CEO and Vegas casino stalwart Michael Gaughan predicted at the time that SouthPointPoker.com would be live in October, claiming “I may not be the biggest or the best but hopefully I’ll have a head start by two or three months.”

Monarch Interactive, the online arm of Monarch Casino and Resorts, is still yet to select a strategic partner to power its online poker offering, despite ongoing talks with several online operators and service providers.

Meanwhile Global Cash Access will hope to become the first payment provider to obtain a licence in Nevada tomorrow. The company is reportedly in talks with South Point Poker to become its payment processor when the two companies are fully licensed.

Several other companies have submitted applications to become online poker operators in Nevada. These include Caesars Interactive Entertainment – expected to appear on the GCB’s agenda in September – Fertitta Interactive, MGM Resorts Online, Boyd Gaming and Golden Gaming, which applied earlier this month.