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.

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

October 18 2012, PokerNews Staff

Las Vegas-based Fertitta Interactive LLC, which owns the UFC and Station Casinos, has been approved for an interactive gaming license from the Nevada Gaming Commission as a service provider of online poker in Nevada.

The license will allow Fertitta Interactive to provide real-money online poker under its new Ultimate Gaming brand. Fertitta began developing Ultimate Gaming when it acquired gaming company CyberArts Licensing LLC last October. The first offering from the company was Ultimate Poker, a free platform which launched on Facebook in June.

The Fertitta group said at this month’s hearing with the Nevada Gaming Control Board that Ultimate Gaming’s entrance into the real-money online poker market will allow it to expand its Las Vegas staff from 26 to about 100 by next year.

“With our unique ability to leverage the overlapping demographics between online gaming, traditional gaming and the worldwide sports and entertainment brand of the UFC, Ultimate Gaming is ideally positioned to rapidly capture a significant following in the United States and throughout the globe,” said Tom Breitling, chairman of Ultimate Gaming.

Fertitta’s hearing Thursday came shortly after the Nevada Gaming Commission met with Boyd Gaming, which received interactive gaming license as an operator. The NGC will next meet with the Golden Nugget to round out Thursday’s interactive license hearings.

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Photo courtesy of Ultimate Gaming Facebook page.

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