- Nevada is removing a restriction on cashless gaming that required in-person identification.
- Online gamblers are still subject to in-person identification, however.
- This could be a move in the right direction for Nevada, but for now, it’s limited to in-casino cashless gaming.
LAS VEGAS - Nevada has long lagged behind other states in terms of mobile and online gaming infrastructure.
The reasons for this lag are varied - some blame entrenched casino interests, others blame complacency, but the results are the same - despite being one of the top gambling locations in the world, online gambling in Nevada has several artificial barriers to entry.
However, new regulations proposed at the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Thursday could change that situation - or at least get things moving in the right direction.
What Does This Regulation Do?
At the moment, even though the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, Nevada’s gamers must report to a physical casino in order to sign up for cashless wagering in a casino. They must also do so in order to sign up for online sports betting.
This change in regulation would allow the first process to take place entirely online - from registration to funding and gambling.
However, this would only apply to cashless wagering - online gambling fans would still be stuck having to report to a casino to have their identity verified.
This regulation was proposed by Sightline Payments, a payment processing company that works for many of the casinos in Las Vegas.
Marc Rubinstein, an attorney for Sightline, seemed confident that the process for deregulating cashless wagering identification could be done legally.
“We're comfortable that there's no longer an issue with the federal law,” said Rubinstein. “I wanted to kind of close the loop since I was essentially the disrupter of the last workshop.”
What Does This Mean For Nevada Gamblers?
Unfortunately, this is more of a step in the right direction than it is a massive change in landscape.
Nevada’s online gamblers still have to report to casinos in order to finish the signup process, and mobile sports betting in Nevada is still stuck behind that artificial barrier.
However, the fact that the Gaming Control Board is looking at removing this barrier in other areas could be good news for the future of mobile sports betting in Nevada.
For now, Nevada’s gambling fans will watch, and hope that this minor change now means a larger one in the future.