Caesars Interactive Entertainment, formerly known as Harrah’s, was granted an online poker license by the state of Nevada Thursday, bringing the total number of licensed operators in the state to twelve.
Caesars will be partnering with 888 Holdings in the online poker venture, but 888 must still receive its online gaming license before they can seriously think about a product launch. This is not likely to be a problem, as the Nevada Gaming Control Board voted unanimously to approve the business relationship between Caesars and 888 back in March 2011. The two companies had already been offering a World Series of Poker-branded online poker product in the UK for a few years. Eleven months ago, the two companies decided to expand their relationship to the United States, looking to get 888 licensed to take advantage of legalization and regulation of online poker either on a state or federal level.
888 withdrew from the U.S. following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), a decision that almost certainly helps its standing in the eyes of regulators. It cannot provide online poker to Nevada residents on its own, though, as it must partner with a company that has a brick-and-mortar presence, something that Caesars obviously has. The company owns a multitude of casinos in Nevada, including the Rio, home of the World Series of Poker, Harrah’s, the Horseshoe, the Flamingo, Paris, and Planet Hollywood.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment joins the likes of MGM, South Point, Boyd Gaming, Fertitta Interactive LLC, and the Golden Nugget as a select group of firms now licensed to operate intrastate online poker sites in Nevada. Others licensed to provide online poker-related services include Bally Technologies, IGT, and Shuffle Master.
Caesars executives believe that they could have their site up and running as soon as early 2013, though again, that depends on 888’s license.
In August, South Point Poker LLC became the first company to receive an intrastate online poker room license in Nevada and believed it would be able to launch in October, but that never happened. South Point was ahead of the curve, as it had developed its own software rather than partnering with another company, but delays in the independent testing process have pushed back its launch date.
“We feel we could launch today,” Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Vaughan told VegasInc.com at the time. “But you’ve got to go through the independent testing labs, you have to satisfy the State Gaming Control Board and because we are the first, we’re going to be under the microscope. They’re going to prod us every which way, and that’s good. We don’t want to come out and fall flat on our face and be an embarrassment for Nevada.”
Other companies awaiting licensing approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board include online social gaming giant Zynga, bwin.party, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and Treasure Island.
