Nevada approves international gaming agreements; licences Aristocrat

Nevada lawmakers have passed a bill which amends the state’s existing online gaming laws and allows for interactive gaming agreements to be made with other states and international governments.

The bill, AB360, amends section 6 of Assembly Bill 114 which was signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval in February, and allowed the state of Nevada to enter into agreements with other states to enable residents to participate in interactive gaming.

This has now been amended to allow Nevada to sign interactive agreements with “governmental units of other nations, states or local bodies exercising governmental functions.”

The term includes national and subnational governments, including their respective departments, agencies and instrumentalities and “any department, agency or authority of any such governmental unit that has authority over gaming or gambling activities.”

This would allow customers physically located in signatory jurisdictions to participate in interactive gaming conducted by “one or more operators licensed by one or more of the signatory governments.”

The bill allows the Nevada Gaming Commission to make recommendations to the Governor to enter into these agreements, and adapt relevant regulations. This includes the length and terms of an agreement, tax and revenue share issues, as well as how to resolve disputes with customers.

The bill states that any agreement with other governments would require that government to “establish and maintain regulatory requirements  governing interactive gaming that are materially consistent with the requirements of this state in all material respects.”

The bill was read for the first time in the Senate earlier this week and referred to the Committee on Judiciary where it was passed. The bill was then declared an emergency measure under the state Constitution and placed on General File.

Read for a third time in the Senate, the bill was approved by a vote of 20-0 (one exclusion) and now moves onto the Assembly for further approval.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Aristocrat Technologies has become the latest gaming supplier to be granted an interactive gaming licence by the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Aristocrat joins the likes of rivals IGT, Bally, WMS, SHFL entertainment and Lottomatica as licensed interactive gaming providers in the state.

Aristocrat’s licence allows the company to provide online poker technological services to Nevada-licensed interactive operators through its nLive online gaming platform, which has already gone live in free-to-play mode with several casinos across the US.

Aristocrat Technologies president Atul Bali said: “This latest news is a very important milestone for two reasons. First, it further validates our aggressive online strategic vision. Second, being licensed to provide our interactive gaming services in Nevada, a state that is leading the online gaming charge in the US, puts us in a very strong position for future activity.”

Aristocrat's nLive solution offers operators B2B solutions in social gaming, online gaming, managed services and online poker.

Aristocrat vice president of system sales and marketing Kelly Shaw said: “We have created what we believe is, quite simply, the best platform for online gaming in the US. The nLive virtual casino solution empowers operators to extend their brand beyond the confines of the brick-and-mortar casino and into the online space, where their players can continue to enjoy the property and its rewards.

“We have options for play-for-fun, play-for-pay, social gaming and links to the property's CRM system, giving an all-encompassing experience.”

Yesterday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved the applications of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Sartini Synergy Online (the online arm of U.S casino operator Golden Gaming) and Lottomatica’s SPIELO International to extend the deadline by which to begin interactive gaming operations.

The NGCB also recommended approval to 888 CEO Brian Mattingley as a licensed manager of the company’s US subsidiaries 888 US Inc and AGN LLC.