The deal for Cantor Gaming to take over sportsbook operations at the Venetian and Palazzo casinos in Las Vegas has been approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) and the state’s Gaming Control Board (GCB). On Sept. 1, Cantor’s sportsbook will open for business at Lagasse’s Stadium at the Palazzo, while the sportsbook under construction at the Venetian will be ready in November. Cantor CEO Lee Amaitis claimed to be “thrilled … building upon our superb relationship with Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s two iconic Strip destinations.”
Believe it or not, there are places in Vegas that Cantor Gaming doesn’t want to operate a sportsbook, such as beside a swimming pool or in a children’s arcade. Earlier this summer, the Nevada Senate passed legislation permitting casino hotel guests over the age of 21 to enjoy casino games from the comfort of their hotel room via proprietary mobile device, so long as they could keep the devices out of kids’ hands. The law is one step closer to final regulatory approval following a GCB workshop on the subject on Wednesday. (Nevada’s recently published online poker gaming law drafts will be the subject of similar workshops starting Sept. 26.)
At the workshop, Cantor Gaming attorney Robert Faiss was asked about the requirement for ‘reasonable assurances’ that underage casino guests won’t get their hands on one of Cantor’s eDeck mobile devices. The Las Vegas Sun claims Faiss ensured the GCB that systems were in place that allowed casinos to verify the age of its mobile users, but cautioned that parental responsibility still had a role to play. The GCB gets the final word on where the devices are permitted to roam, but Cantor’s Phil Flaherty helpfully added that it “makes no sense to set it up in a kid’s zone.” (Less than 7% of Vegas visitors bring their kids, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.)
The next GCB workshop on the mobile law goes Sept. 22. Once it’s done listening, the GCB will lateral the regulations to the NGC for final tweaking and approval.
