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Nevada sets its sights on Net gambling
By Reuters
May 22, 2001, 4:35 p.m. PT
LOS ANGELES--A bill that would put Nevada on a fast track to become the first state with legalized Internet gambling has passed through one of the state's two legislative chambers and will come up for a vote in the other later this week.
The legislation, which passed in the Nevada Assembly last month, was passed by the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday in a 6-1 vote. It would not make online gambling legal in Nevada, but would create a framework for regulating the industry if it is cleared under federal law.
It will now go to the full Senate for a vote that will likely occur on Thursday or Friday, said Merle Berman, a Republican Assemblywoman from Las Vegas and one of the legislation's main supporters.
Berman estimated that online gaming could generate about $83 million in added revenues for the state each year. She added that interstate betting laws would prohibit out-of-state gamblers from using sites operated by Nevada companies. She said minors would also be prohibited from the sites.
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, a Republican, does not comment on pending legislation until it reaches his desk, said spokesman Jack Finn.
The U.S. Congress has debated the murky issue of online gambling, and a U.S. federal district court has ruled that the 1961 federal wire act does not prohibit Internet-based gambling.
One part of the Nevada legislation would give regulators the power to oversee online gaming in the state if and when it becomes legal. The other part would set up a system of licensing fees and taxes for companies that operate online gaming sites.
If such gaming is determined to be legal, the Nevada legislation would position the state to become a pioneer in a new era of gambling, she said.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my state to be first once again," Berman said. "Las Vegas is a gaming area. We want to be first. We want to be the best."
Berman added that many future online gaming ventures could see technology companies pairing with some of the state's major gaming companies that are already licensed to operate in Nevada. She said future online sites could include traditional games such as blackjack and slot machines, but that the new medium could also pave the way for many new games.
"What you think of as gambling games in the next three to five years will be so changed that you won't recognize them," she said. "The evolution of technology is so quick that there's no way we can even think of what the games are going to look like."
Nevada's biggest gaming companies include MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment, Harrah's Entertainment and Mandalay Resort Group.
By Reuters
May 22, 2001, 4:35 p.m. PT
LOS ANGELES--A bill that would put Nevada on a fast track to become the first state with legalized Internet gambling has passed through one of the state's two legislative chambers and will come up for a vote in the other later this week.
The legislation, which passed in the Nevada Assembly last month, was passed by the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday in a 6-1 vote. It would not make online gambling legal in Nevada, but would create a framework for regulating the industry if it is cleared under federal law.
It will now go to the full Senate for a vote that will likely occur on Thursday or Friday, said Merle Berman, a Republican Assemblywoman from Las Vegas and one of the legislation's main supporters.
Berman estimated that online gaming could generate about $83 million in added revenues for the state each year. She added that interstate betting laws would prohibit out-of-state gamblers from using sites operated by Nevada companies. She said minors would also be prohibited from the sites.
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, a Republican, does not comment on pending legislation until it reaches his desk, said spokesman Jack Finn.
The U.S. Congress has debated the murky issue of online gambling, and a U.S. federal district court has ruled that the 1961 federal wire act does not prohibit Internet-based gambling.
One part of the Nevada legislation would give regulators the power to oversee online gaming in the state if and when it becomes legal. The other part would set up a system of licensing fees and taxes for companies that operate online gaming sites.
If such gaming is determined to be legal, the Nevada legislation would position the state to become a pioneer in a new era of gambling, she said.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my state to be first once again," Berman said. "Las Vegas is a gaming area. We want to be first. We want to be the best."
Berman added that many future online gaming ventures could see technology companies pairing with some of the state's major gaming companies that are already licensed to operate in Nevada. She said future online sites could include traditional games such as blackjack and slot machines, but that the new medium could also pave the way for many new games.
"What you think of as gambling games in the next three to five years will be so changed that you won't recognize them," she said. "The evolution of technology is so quick that there's no way we can even think of what the games are going to look like."
Nevada's biggest gaming companies include MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment, Harrah's Entertainment and Mandalay Resort Group.