The State of Nevada continues to move forward in preparation for monitoring satellites on WSOP.com federal legislation that may or may not fully legalize online poker and/or slots. The Nevada Gaming Control Board put out drafts of certain amendments to state gambling regulations yesterday that look to accommodate fully legalized online poker.
These regulatory revisions come as a Nevada law passed and signed earlier this year mandates … and just a sidenote LOL to think that PokerStars was paying some of the lobbyists who helped push it to passage. (Can we say somebody got played?)
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These proposed new rules cover procedure for applying for a license, establish the scrutiny licensees and their b2b providers and other affiliates will face (and a one-year appeal process for those who get denied), sets a standard for tax rates to be set by a state gambling authority, and limits legal wagers to poker — differentiating poker from other games not because of skill but because it\’s played against other players, not the house. There\’s also something in play for what it means to transfer ownership of an unlicensed business as one applies for a license.
We\’ll have to address later state vs. federal licensing and regulation, and how those two could or could not work together.
The above proposed regulations go up for public comment next month. Today — in a meeting moved from Carson City to Las Vegas — NGC (Nevada Gaming Commission) and GCB (the state Gaming Control Board) considered proposed amendments to Regulation 4 on matters of \”suitability\” … i.e. who can do business with licensed operators. Google Translate doesn\’t yet have a setting for RegulatorSpeak, so I\’m still trying to figure out what it all means in practicality for different companies and individuals … but I\’m pretty sure Ray Bitar won\’t be working for Caesars anytime soon, though I\’m not sure if Chris Ferguson ever might-could get a non-poker job at a casino as an entertainer who cuts fruit by throwing cards.
Other poker and more-than-poker amendments working through the regulatory approval process in Nevada cover mobile-gaming technology, server location requirements (they no longer have to be on premises), interactions allowed on interlinked slot machine systems … and sets up a system for regulators to communicate with online gaming providers via email. You can track the progress of NV regulation drafts here, and see what language ends up in effect here.
See also:
Nevada casino regulators propose new rules for Internet gambling should US legalize it [Washington Post]
