Internet Gaming 101

31 March 2000
Are Las Vegas casinos Internet bound? If so, the Nevada Gaming Commission's Internet Gaming Informational Seminar on April 13, dubbed by some as "Internet Gaming 101," could signify the first step in the education process.

The daylong seminar will include informative sessions about how the Internet works, legal issues and the technological implementation of regulation, along with a pros and con presentation followed by questioning. Featured speakers include Tony Cabot, Lionel, Sawyer & Collins; Tony Fontaine, Station Casinos; Fernando DiCarlo, Gametronics and Sebastian Sinclair, Christiansen Capital.

What's behind this interest? As much as the real-world casinos hate to acknowledge it, their virtual competitors are making a huge impact on profits. The most obvious example is the numbers from last year's Super Bowl. Las Vegas bookies brought in $71 million in total bets for the Super Bowl, while an estimated $300 million was wagered online.

The proof's in the pudding, as the saying goes. Perhaps, the proof is making the Internet look brighter to Vegas operators.