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

November 01 2012, PokerNews Staff

On Thursday, MGM Resorts International moved one step closer toward offering legalized intrastate online poker in Nevada. In a hearing with the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board, MGM received preliminary approval to offer real-money online poker as an operator. The gaming giant, which will use bwin.party’s poker platform, is expected to launch a free-play online poker site in early 2013.

MGM will seek final license approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission later this month.

“We are encouraged to know that states are talking to one another,” MGM CEO Jim Murren told Reuters on Wednesday. “They are crafting their own legislation and legal frameworks but are talking with other states in anticipation of compacting with multiple states.

“We feel strongly that if it is in fact state by state, the states themselves need to compact with one another to create a more viable business model. Any one state going on its own presents an economic challenge, particularly in a small state like Nevada.”

Last October, MGM partnered with bwin.party and Boyd Gaming in anticipation of legalized gambling. As part of the joint venture, bwin.party will own 65 percent of the company for providing and maintaining the software for both gaming companies. MGM will hold 25 percent ownership and Boyd will own 10 percent.

Boyd Gaming received its interactive gaming license last month. Bwin.party has submitted license application but has yet to meet with gaming regulators.

“For many years it was a question of if the U.S. government – either at a federal or state level – would regulate online gaming,” Bwin.party co-CEO Jim Ryan said in an early-2012 interview with PokerNews. “We don’t think that’s the case anymore. We think it’s a question of when.”

Chris Sieroty, a gaming reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, indicated that bwin.party’s license would be considered after the new year.

*Picture courtesy of msnbcmedia.msn.com.

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