Nevada residents are still waiting for the launch of the first legal, real-money online poker room in the Silver State. According to 888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley, they won’t have to wait much longer.

Mattingley told Reuters Tuesday that the company expects to launch its online poker offering in Nevada by this summer. 888 is waiting for its software to be approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board before it can go live via three online gaming partners in the state. The control board has been testing the software of providers since last year.

888, which owns and operates 888poker outside of the U.S., will provide an online poker platform for Caesars Interactive Entertainment and its World Series of Poker-branded online poker site, as well as slot machine manufacturer WMS Industries and Treasure Island. 888 has nonexclusive business-to-business deals with all three companies in Nevada.

Mattingley told PokerNews last year that 888 will be “well positioned” to perform strongly in Nevada. On Tuesday, told Reuters the that company is also seeking approval to operate in New Jersey, which legalized online gambling in February.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved more than 20 companies for interactive gaming licenses already, including MGM Resorts International, Fertitta Interactive, Boyd Gaming and the Golden Nugget. None of the licensed operators have announced an official launch date for online poker, but many expect to be up and running by the end of the year.

Mattingley said the company will begin to see how much of an impact the U.S. poker market has on its bottom line starting in 2015. 888 will increase its marketing budget in the U.S. next year while it competes for a share of the online poker market.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us both Facebook and Google+!

Check out the original source here! Originally from PokerNews.com

On Thursday, Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc. was approved for an online poker license in Nevada per Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review. Caesars will launch the site as a World Series of Poker brand alongside their partner 888 Holdings. The site will not launch until 888 Holdings is approved for a license as well.

In a previous interview with PokerNews, Ty Stewart, the Executive Director of the WSOP, was asked what the legalization of online poker would mean for the company. His response:

“I think that we could absolutely revolutionize the category. Obviously, I feel we’ll be successful because we’ve got smart and genuine people like [Caesars Interactive Entertainment CEO] Mitch Garber, who led the No. 1 poker site in the world [PartyPoker], and we have great brands.

“Of the big casino gaming companies, we have more customers in our database, more consumer traffic through our floors, more properties in more territories than anywhere else. Obviously, one would hope we could offer an exciting product and regularly host games with significant liquidity – potentially the softest games with the highest ROI for players. I think consumer confidence has always been the No. 1 barrier to entry for online customers, and Caesars has buildings all over the world. People will know where to find us. And we’re never going to turn our back on customers.”

Today, Seth Palansky, the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Caesars, added, “We want to thank the Commission for all their efforts throughout this process. There’s no doubt they do a thorough review and will ensure that Nevada is the best regulated market for online poker. We look forward to the opportunity to serve Nevadans when we complete the necessary steps to do so.”

During the meeting, Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Pete Bernhard admitted that he had signed up to play for free on the Caesars Playtika site. Bernhard also admitted that he has played slot games on Slotomania, citing that he wants to further understand how social gaming works.

Caesars is the 17th company to receive a license for pay-to-play online poker in Nevada. Caesars and 888 Holdings currently operate real money gaming in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today!

Check out the original source here! Originally from PokerNews.com