South Point and Monarch set to be first Nevada operators
Gaming Control Board takes just 45 minutes to recommend South Point's online poker licence " Monarch Interactive and Global Cash Access also given tentative approval.
South Point Poker and Monarch are two weeks away from becoming the first companies to be awarded a licence to operate online poker sites in Nevada, following initial approval by the state’s Gaming Control Board (GCB).
South Point casino owner Michael Gaughan attended the hearing yesterday but was not questioned by the three-member GCB panel, which unanimously approved the application. Gaughan has been licenced in Nevada since 1965 and has managed a long list of bricks and mortar businesses in the state.
The technology powering South Point’s poker offering is currently in its second stage of testing with one of Nevada’s independent testing laboratories. If it passes this phase and the operator receives final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission next week, real-money bets could be taken on SouthPointPoker.com by October.
The technology must ensure that all players are within the state’s borders and are at least 21 years of age. GCB chairman Mark Lipparelli said at the hearing: “The devil is in the details. I want a comfort level that all requirements had been covered.”
The GCB also recommended that the Nevada Gaming Commission award Monarch Interactive, the online arm of Monarch Casino and Resort, an operator’s licence.
The company has yet to find an partner to run its forthcoming online poker site, but has confirmed that it will licence a product rather than develop its own as South Point has done.
A third recommendation was given to Global Cash Access as an online poker service provider. The company is reportedly in talks with South Point Poker to become its payment processor when the two companies are fully licenced.
So far only gaming suppliers have been awarded licences in Nevada, with IGT, Bally Technologies and Shuffle Master gaining approval.