Bwin.Party digital entertainment has made an official application to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for an operating license in the state, it was announced this week. Six years ago, after the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, Party Gaming (which later merged with Bwin to form Bwin.Party), withdrew from the US market. Several years later, the company signed a deal with the US authorities which cleared the company from any future threat of prosecution in return for $105 million. This was seen as Party Gaming’s green light to start the process of returning to the US market in the hopes that the government would regulate and legalize the industry once more.
Last year, Bwin merged with Party Gaming and later partnered with Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts International, two US based groups, in anticipation of changes to the gambling landscape. The partnership will see bwin.party maintain 65% ownership of the joint venture, MGM holding 25%, while Boyd the final 10%.
While Party Gaming doesn’t have any illusions of seeing itself return to its former spot of glory when it had a 50% share of the US poker market before 2006, it nevertheless believes that it has a “very meaningful liquidity pool” in the market.
Bwin.Party is only one in a growing list of online gambling and poker operators who are seeking a license from Nevada Gaming Control Board, as it becomes clear that this will probably be the first state to introduce intrastate online gambling.
