The Mississippi Gaming Commission has given Harrah's Entertainment Inc. permission to open an online casino in the British Isle of Alderney.
A spokesman for Harrah's verified that it has obtained a waiver from the Mississippi Gaming Commission, but stated that its operation will not necessarily be an online casino.
The company is expected to disclose its plans in an official statement this week.
Harrah's, never a stranger to cutting-edge technology, has long been considered a candidate to venture into the I-gaming space. In October 2000, the company became the first U.S.-licensed land-based casino operator to launch a free-play online casino. The site is powered by Chartwell Technology's casino software, which is designed for real-money play.
MGM Mirage in the fourth quarter of 2002 became the first U.S. land-based casino group to launch a real-money online casino, but that site shut down a few months later due what the company termed "unclear political and legal climate" in Washington. The site was licensed out of the Isle of Man and was restricted from taking play from U.S. bettors. U.K.-based Rank Group, which operates the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, also operates an online casino in the British Isles. The site, HardRockCasino.com, was originally operated out of the Isle of Man, but was relocated to Alderney in June 2003.
Considering the prohibition movement in the United States and MGM Mirage's difficulties in the Isle of Man, it's doubtful that Harrah's would launch an online casino anytime soon.
Harrah's is consistently one of the world's largest grossing casino companies. Just last week the company reported third-quarter revenues of $1.14 billion.
The company has also won numerous awards for its innovative "Total Rewards" CRM program.