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INTERNATIONAL NEWS - USAwww.euroslot-online.comDelaware makes e-gaming historyThe slow, but now seemingly certain,progression of the U.S. casino sector towardlegalised online gambling took two important stepsforward this summer, writes Barnaby Page.To start with, Bally Technologies andInternational Game Technology (IGT) became thefirst companies licensed to supply interactivegaming technology and services to operators inNevada, a signal that the state’s commitment toallowing online poker is real.Then, more dramatically though likely with muchless long-term impact on the gaming industry, thesmall state of Delaware became the first to legaliseall kinds of casino e-games, including roulette,blackjack and slots as well as poker.Delaware, aptly nicknamed “the first state”, ishoping to stem the loss of gaming-related revenueto its neighbours Pennsylvania and Maryland –levies on gambling provide around seven percent ofits budget – and authorities forecast that thestate’s three racecourse casinos could be offering e-gaming on their Websites by January 2013, viatablets and smartphones as well as PCs.Lottery tickets will also be available online, as isalready the case in Illinois, and indeed it isDelaware’s Lottery Office that will oversee e-gaming operations. Geolocation software willpinpoint the devices from which bets are placed, toensure that only individuals within the state’sborders can participate.The approval by the Nevada Gaming ControlBoard, meanwhile, puts Bally, IGT and their casinopartners in a position where they should be able tomove quickly to introduce e-gaming. The two firms,both headquartered in the state, already haveexperience in the field through deployments of theironline gaming technology in Europe.Bally and IGT will only be providing technology,not running gaming businesses, but thesignificance of their licensing is that it indicates thatNevada is serious about pushing ahead with e-gaming soon. Some two dozen operator companiesCould states join forces?have reportedly applied for licences in the state,including Caesars Entertainment and MGMResorts, and it’s expected that the first pay-to-playsites could be up and running by the end of theyear.For now, free-play is one way that casinos canhelp their U.S. customers grow accustomed to theidea of online gaming.“We believe that online gaming is inevitable inthe United States, and that our free-play site willenable the Golden Nugget to be well-positioned tocompete when U.S. laws allow for online gaming,”said Tilman J. Fertitta, chairman of three-siteoperator Golden Nugget, which has formed apartnership with Bally to offer free-play pokerwhile it awaits the arrival of pay-to-play.Bally’s technology in the Golden Nugget venturealso offers a foretaste of how the casinomanagement system of the future is likely to lookas more and more jurisdictions allow onlinegaming. It is designed to offer a single view of theplayer across online, mobile and land-basedactivities, and to support casino table games,video slots, bingo, and sports betting as well aspoker.“The integration with Bally’s CMP playertrackingsystem and Elite Bonusing Suite willenable casino operators to track and bonus playersseamlessly through the traditional and virtualcasino environments,” said John Connelly, vicepresident of business development at Bally. “Weare licensed as a gaming manufacturer in hundredsof jurisdictions around the world and will work withcasinos to provide one view of their patrons acrossonline, mobile, and traditional platforms.”While Nevada and Delaware are the first states to take such concrete measures towardenabling e-gaming, others including New Jersey are expected to follow suit soon, after longrunningand fruitless attempts to legalise online gambling through the federal governmentabruptly ceased to be a sticking point.That was thanks to a Department of Justice decision that federal law does not, as waspreviously believed, prohibit e-gaming – leaving the way open for individual states to maketheir own rules for online gambling within their borders.Cross-border gaming transactions would still, it seems, fall under Washington’s purviewand as such are not yet permitted. But the Delaware representative who introduced thestate’s e-gaming legislation – with the governor’s encouragement – believes that cooperationamong states to jointly offer online games to their collective populations could bethe next step, with benefits including improved liquidity.“I think interstate compacts are the next progression,” John Viola was quoted as saying.“I don’t know of anybody seeking that at the moment, but I think that’s the next move. Ithink it’s coming and that we’re not too far away from it. The nitty-gritty is in the details —who gets what, when and how? Does each state get a percentage? Who knows? It’s allsomething that they will have to wheel and deal.”22 JULY/AUGUST 2012 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY