Gambling Control Board holds company's fate in its hands
It was just another monthly meeting of the Nevada Gaming Control Board on May 1, 2013. But for big companies like Aristocrat Technologies, Pinnacle Entertainment, and GambleID, this might come as a shock: the GCB has the power to approve or deny licenses for just about anything that has to do with gaming, and they take this task very seriously. There hasn't been much of a divide within their ranks this month. The three important games before them were all passed 3-0.
Nobles join online
The idea first floated this month was to license Australian company Aristocrat Technologies, a slot machine developer and a major player in the gaming market, as a manufacturer of interactive gaming equipment. Since legal, regulated online poker has just launched in Nevada with much fanfare, and with the potential for larger online casinos to come in the future, Aristocrat would naturally want to be a part of it.
It was approved by a unanimous vote of the GCB, composed of Chairman A.G. Burnett, Shawn R. Reid and Terry Johnson – approved Aristocrat’s license application, becoming the 22nd company in Nevada to receive such a license.
Acquisition of Pinnacle
Next on the agenda for this month's meeting is consideration of Pinnacle Entertainment's acquisition of rival Ameristar Casinos. Oddly, while neither company has casinos in Southern Nevada — both companies are primarily located in the Midwest and South of the U.S. — both are headquartered in Las Vegas.
In another unanimous vote, the board recommended approval of the deal, which means Pinnacle can acquire Ameristar's two non-Las Vegas casinos: Cactus Pete's in Jackpot, Nevada (just south of the Idaho line) and Horseshu ( sic). As part of the deal, Ameristar will also hand over keys to all of its properties in Missouri, Louisiana, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana and Mississippi.
GambleID is licensed
Finally, GCB considered licensing GambleID, which describes itself as “providing products and solutions designed to meet the legal compliance requirements of the gaming industry.” With poker currently legalized, and online gambling likely to become more widespread soon, interactive businesses now need secure platforms to determine whether online players are who they say they are. The board's agenda politely describes it as "providing geolocation and customer identification services to authorized partners." Since gambling operators' own online licenses depend on them having accurate software to identify who is who and what is what, the company could play an important role in the transition to legal online gambling. As a result, the board recommended approval, which could make it the 23rd company in Nevada to receive an interactive gaming license.
However, it's not over until the Nevada Gaming Commission's fat lady sings; all three recommendations will now move on to final approval or rejection.
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Source: www.casino.org
