The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday granted final approval on an application that allows Bally Technologies to offer real-money online poker.
The license for Bally is the first of its kind in U.S. gaming history, however later in the same day both IGT & William Hill received their licenses also.
Bally, will manufacture, run and maintain online gaming systems on behalf of Nevada casinos, not being an operator themselves.
Bally and the others will now have theirs technology tested, to insure to a high degree of confidence, for example, that games only take place within the state’s borders.
Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli has said that this process will dictate how quickly games can be brought to the marketplace.
In May, Lipparelli gave a time frame of 7-10 months.
More than 30 entities have so far sent online poker applications to regulators but Bally was one of the early birds, submitting its paperwork in October 2011, prior to regulations being in place.
Nevada is the only state in the country where online gaming is legal. Nevada will enter the online realm with poker only at first.
The game will be available to both residents and visitors, however some in the industry are skeptical that a 3 million Nevada population will make a viable player pool, but now time will tell now that Bally has their license.
Source: gaming-awards.com
