MGM, Boyd Apply for Nevada Online Poker License

Posted by Lasse Hamar 05/02/12

List of interested companies has grown to 12

Card Player has obtained information that MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming are a couple of the latest entities to apply for a license to participate in a Nevada intrastate online gaming industry that would begin with poker.

In October, MGM and Boyd announced a deal with bwin.party to run Internet poker sites. The U.K-based company that owns PartyPoker and the World Poker Tour brand has yet to apply.

MGM is a brick-and-mortar casino powerhouse in Las Vegas. Some of its properties include Bellagio, Aria, The Mirage, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Circus Circus and Excalibur.

Caesars Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker brand, also formally applied recently. Just a few days ago, 888 (also an applicant in Nevada) and Caesars announced they were extending their U.K. software licensing agreement to the U.S.

Like MGM, Caesars owns the brand names for a number of Nevada casinos. In addition to Caesars Palace, some of the company’s properties in the Silver State include Flamingo, Harveys Lake Tahoe, Imperial Palace, O’Sheas, Planet Hollywood and Rio.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Thursday that Fertitta Interactive is now formally seeking to participate in online poker. The online gaming entity is co-owned by Station Casinos’ founders.

Here’s a complete list of the 12 applicants:

Cantor G&W (Nevada) L.P. — Service Provider
South Point Poker (Gaughan Straight Holdings) — Operator
IGT — Manufacturer/Service Provider
888 Holdings plc/888 US Limited — Manufacturer/Distributor/Service Provider
Bally Technologies — Manufacturer/Service Provider
Shuffle Master — Service Provider
Aristocrat Technologies — Manufacturer/Distributor/Service Provider
Monarch Casino — Operator
Caesars Entertainment — Operator
Boyd Gaming — Operator
Fertitta Interactive, LLC; Fertitta Acquisitionsco, LLC — Operator/Service Provider
MGM Resorts Online, LLC — Operator

Nevada regulators are already reviewing some of the paperwork, but have not given any indication on when the first potential licensee could be brought to the Gaming Commission for approval.