Nevada Handheld Competition Hots Up
Published: Monday, March 27, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
NEVADA HANDHELD COMPETITION HOTS UP
Now PGIC joins the fray
The race to have handheld equipment approved for use on Nevada land casino premises was joined by another competitor this week - Progressive Gaming International Corporation.
The company says that the wireless edition of its Rapid Bet Live sports wagering product is expected to be submitted to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) for approval within the next three months. On March 23, 2006, the NGCB approved the use of wireless gaming devices in Nevada, the first state in the nation to allow mobile, wireless gaming in public areas in casinos.
PGIC joins companies like Diamond I Inc and Cantor G&W vying for position in a new market for handhelds brought about by the Nevada Gaming Commission's recent approval for the use of these on land casino premises.
The Commission has approved rules that will permit casinos to offer wireless handheld gambling devices to people who want to gamble away from the casino floor but on land casino premises.
The NGC has approved rules for the new gambling media and will now practically test the concept in various Vegas casinos and in the commission's technology lab over the next three to six months. Once the testing is complete, makers of wireless gambling devices such as those identified above can seek approval of their products for use in a casino's public areas.
Several casino industry executives have opined that gamblers could start using the devices in Las Vegas by the end of the year.
The devices, ranging in size from a handheld video-game player to a slate or tablet PC, can be programmed for individual games of blackjack, poker, roulette and even slots.
Last summer, Nevada became the first state to legalise the devices for use inside casino hotels. State gambling regulators have been crafting rules governing how they would work ever since.
Last month, Atlantic City operators asked New Jersey legislators to hold a hearing on allowing similar devices inside casinos there. A five-member Senate committee in Trenton will decide in the coming months whether to introduce legislation on the issue.
Progressive Gaming's executive vice president and CTO Thomas Galanty says that the company made important investments in technology and people last year with the objective of securing a share of the Nevada handheld business: "In particular the acquisition of VirtGame and the opening of a technology center in Southern California with the objective of being one of the first movers in the area of server-based wagering" were key moves, he said.
The company currently has Rapid Bet Live in a field trial in the sports book at the Palms Resort and Casino. During the first two and a half weeks of this 30 day regulatory field trial, Rapid Bet Live has been exceeding expectations with no functionality issues. The company has other gaming content that can be delivered through a central server based system that it expects to submit to various gaming regulatory agencies for approval throughout 2006 and 2007 that are expected to appeal to users of wireless devices within a casino.
