It's an exciting day for California-based Virtgame.com. Late yesterday afternoon the company received word that its online gaming system technology had received approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. With the Board's approval in hand, Virtgame can launch its Las Vegas-based online sportsbook to accept wagers from Nevada residents. Approval for Virtgame's software is pending, and likely to occur within a week followed by a 30-day field trial for full approval, according to Dennis Neilander of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The company supplies the software and technology for the closed-loop type sportsbook operated in four Coast Resorts casinos. Punters on the Las Vegas site will be able to wager up to $1000 on football games, horse races and other sporting events. A free play site showcasing the company's software can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection at primelinesport.com.
What makes this site possible is Virtgame's unique combination of software and hardware that enables its eBorder technology. Spokesman Bruce Merati said that the company had been waiting at least two months to receive the Board's approval. "The technology review and everything else was done a long time ago. We were told verbally that the system had passed the tests," he explained. "The Gaming Board took the system out of the state, they tried to break into it and couldn't and finally gave up." After learning that approval was forthcoming, company officials had to sit tight until the heavily politicized process concluded. With that in mind, Virtgame officials decided to keep information about their system pretty much under wraps.
When the Board's decision became public yesterday, company officials were deluged with press calls, keeping them from promoting their product to customers. While news publications have been touting the first online sportsbook operated legally within U.S. borders, Merati said the more important news concerns the border control technology. "It can be used for any regulated sales," he explained. Merati hopes that one of the various state lotteries interested in online ticket sales contacts Virtgame for more information. "Any state that does this will get a lot of free publicity," he added. "The key is that they can do this in their own
state and not worry about violating federal law."
Virtgame's border control, Merati said, enables what was an online transaction on the World Wide Web to become a controlled transaction over a SWW or "state wide web." Merati estimates that any state lottery selling tickets online will see their ticket sales quadruple. "We can do it easily for the lotteries. Online sales will bring added revenue for the states, and bring in new, younger players."
Outside the U.S., several European lotteries have already begun selling their tickets via WAP or the wireless Internet. They too can use Virtgame's eBorder technology.
Nevada Approves Virtgame.com's Online Sports Wagering System
It's an exciting day for California-based Virtgame.com. Late yesterday afternoon the company received
word that its online gaming system had received approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. With the Board's approval in hand, Virtgame can open up its Las Vegas-based online sportsbook to accept wagers from Nevada residents.
The company has a contract to operate the Internet sportsbook in four Coast Resorts casinos. Punters on the Las Vegas site will be able to wager up to $1000 on football games, horse races and other sporting events. A free play site showcasing the company's software can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection at primelinesport.com.
What makes this site possible is Virtgame's unique combination of software and hardware that enables
its eBorder technology. Spokesman Bruce Merati said that the company had been waiting at least two
months to receive the Board's approval. "The technology review and everything else was done a long time
ago. We were told verbally that the system had passed the tests," he explained. "The Gaming Board took the system out of the state, they tried to break into it and couldn't and finally gave up." After learning that approval was forthcoming, company officials had to sit tight until the heavily politicized process concluded. With that in mind, Virtgame officials decided to keep information about their system pretty much under wraps.
When the Board's decision became public yesterday, company officials were deluged with press calls,
keeping them from promoting their product to customers. While news publications have been touting the first online sportsbook operated legally within U.S. borders, Merati said the more important news concerns the border control technology. "It can be used for any regulated sales," he explained. Merati hopes that one of the various state lotteries interested in online ticket sales contacts Virtgame for more information. "Any state that does this will get a lot of free publicity," he added. "The key is that they can do this in their own state and not worry about violating federal law."
Virtgame's border control, Merati said, enables what was an online transaction on the World Wide Web to become a controlled transaction over a SWW or "state wide web." Merati estimates that any state lottery selling tickets online will see their ticket sales quadruple. "We can do it easily for the lotteries. Online sales will bring added revenue for the states, and bring in new, younger players."
Outside the U.S., several European lotteries have already begun selling their tickets via WAP or the
wireless Internet. They too can use Virtgame's eBorder technology.