REMOTE GAMING AT LAND CASINOS SHAPING UP

2 November 2007

Testing programs move up a gear in November


It's been 20 months since Nevada casino regulators approved rules governing on-premises wagering on wireless hand-held gambling devices, but testing could go up a gear in November, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a progress report article this week.

The Journal reveals that Cantor G&W hopes to begin testing a wireless gambling device on a small scale at The Venetian and has asked the Gaming Control Board to allow customers frequenting the semi-private lounge inside The Venetian's high-end slot parlour to wager on a device no larger than a personal digital assistant.

Cantor G&W executives also plan to allow attendees to the upcoming Global Gaming Expo who visit The Venetian play the mobile gaming devices for free to showcase their capabilities.

"We're trailblazing here," Lee Amaitis, president of Cantor Fitzgerald's gaming division in London told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We have basically done more than is required for testing this technology and we want to make sure everybody is comfortable with (the concept). People want to see the living, breathing thing. Once it gets into action, I'm optimistic it will be well-received."

Mobile gaming could allow casino patrons to wager on blackjack, bet on the spin of a roulette wheel and play slot machines from public areas away from the traditional casino, such as poolsides, buffet lines or outside convention areas.Firewalls would shut down the devices and prohibit gamblers from wagering outside of a resort's public area, including hotel rooms or away from the property line.

The LVR-J reports that Cantor spent more than $400 million to develop technology used for wireless interactive bond trading on Wall Street. The company then led the initial charge to transfer the technology into the casino environment. Cantor officials lobbied state lawmakers in 2005 to approve mobile gambling and offered comments when regulators wrote the standards.

The company became Nevada's first licensee approved to manufacture and distribute hand-held gaming devices in May 2006, two months after the regulations were approved.

But it's taken more than a year to get its products through the Gaming Control board's testing laboratory.

International Game Technology and Fortunet have also been granted manufacturer and distributor licenses. Only Fortunet, however, has a mobile gaming device in the control board's laboratory along with Cantor this point.

IGT spokesman Ed Rogich said the slot machine manufacturer, which was approved for mobile gaming in August 2006, is concentrating most of its efforts on developing server-based slot machines, which industry analysts believe will be the next wave in retooling casino slot floors.

"We see the mobile gaming applications fitting into the whole suite of products that will be part of our server-based gaming initiative. Right now, we don't see a huge demand for mobile gaming."

Mark Clayton, the control board member overseeing the implementation of mobile gaming, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he agreed mobile gaming is a server-based gaming system. He said the behind-the-scenes technology for the devices needed initial approval from the laboratory before the devices could be tested.

Cantor's mobile gaming device has nine different casino games; blackjack, roulette and baccarat, three types of video poker and three different slot machine games. Cantor Chief Technology Officer Ron Rushin told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that low denominations are being used during the testing period to stay under Internal Revenue Service reporting guidelines.

When Cantor is approved to conduct a 90-day test of the mobile devices at The Venetian, the company will restrict wireless gambling to the casino's high-end slot area. If the device were taken outside the room, it would shut down.

Amaitis said additional games, such as Texas Hold'em Bonus Poker and Carribean Stud, will be added in the second phase.

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