The Nevada Gaming Commission today approved licenses for three more companies to participate in the state’s new online intrastate poker industry.
Licenses were issued for slot machine maker WMS Industries Inc. of Waukegan, Ill., as an interactive gaming system manufacturer and service provider, and for casino operator American Casino & Entertainment Properties LLC (ACEP), Las Vegas, as an interactive gaming operator.
ACEP owns the Stratosphere and two Arizona Charlie’s casinos in Las Vegas and the Aquarius in Laughlin.
It has a players’ club for its bricks-and-mortar casino customers called ace PLAY, meaning it already has a database of players it can market poker to.
ACEP also sees social gaming and online poker as platforms to drive business to its land casinos.
A third license was approved for PokerTrip Enterprises Inc. of Las Vegas to act in a limited capacity as an online poker marketer.
This was the first license to be issued in that category.
The State Gaming Control Board earlier this month recommended approval for all three applicants.
The board and commission earlier this summer approved online poker licenses for South Point Poker LLC, Global Cash Access Holdings Inc., Bally Technologies Inc. and Shuffle Master Inc., all of Las Vegas, and IGT and Monarch Interactive Inc., both of Reno.
Technical testing is under way and must be completed before any of the real-money poker sites goes live.