Cantor Could Be First To Get Wireless Approval
Published: Saturday, May 06, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
CANTOR GAMING COULD BE FIRST TO GET WIRELESS APPROVAL
On-property remote gambling in Nevada moves closer
Associated Press reports that the company that led a 2005 legislative effort to
allow wireless gambling in Nevada won a recommendation this week from regulators
for licensing needed to market its hand-held, mobile gambling devices in the state.
The state Gaming Control Board recommended Cantor Gaming as the
state's first licensed manufacturer and distributor of the devices. The board's
parent state Gaming Commission will have final say on the licensing at a May 18
meeting.
The board endorsed Cantor after Joe Asher, managing director and vice president
of the company, said Cantor is ready to invest "significant'' capital to
install mobile gambling systems in Nevada hotel-casinos. Asher said the devices
should attract gamblers in their 20s and early 30s who have grown up with video
games, cell phones and other devices, as well as older gamblers who use such technology.
Regulations passed in March, based on the 2005 legislation, made Nevada the first
in the nation to approve use of handheld devices for gambling in any public area
of the state's casinos, such as restaurants and poolsides.
Rules allow a range of games, including bingo, poker, blackjack and horse race
betting. Use of the devices in hotel rooms and other places that can't be supervised
is prohibited.
Major operators like Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and MGM Mirage Inc.
and neighborhood casino operator Station Casinos Inc. say they are taking
a wait-and-see approach as the regulations and the technology evolve. Boyd
Gaming Corp., whose holdings include the Stardust in Las Vegas and
co-ownership in the Borgata in Atlantic City, N.J., has said it is unsure
about demand for hand-held gadgets, despite having electronic bingo devices at
halls in its Las Vegas properties.
Cantor G&W (Nevada) LP is an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald,
the New York-based financial services company. It plans to use bond-trading technology,
which has been used for mobile gambling devices in Britain since September 2003.
Others interested in the technology include Louisiana-based Diamond I Inc.,
which has developed its own device; Reno-based International Game Technology,
the world's largest manufacturer of slot machines; and FortuNet Inc., a
Las Vegas-based gambling device manufacturer.
Manufacturers say biometric fingerprint readers and regulations limiting use to
public areas will keep devices out of the hands of minors.
