Our resident online sportsbooks gambling expert, James
Johnson, weighs in with his articles on the status of
the online gambling industry and online sportsbooks. Be
sure to check WagerOnFootball.com every
week for his next bit of amazing insight on the world
of offshore and online gambling. This man knows gambling!
This man knows his way around a few sportsbooks too!!!!
Recently I was in Vegas and was
able to catch up with some guys that are heavy into the
only telephone gambling wave. Here’s what I was
able to find out.
The Nevada company Casino Phone Technologies is hoping
to win the business of gaming operators around the world
with a new technology it says could port casino games
onto mobile phones.
The so-called mCasino technology
is intended to give casinos a way to keep customers happy
-- read: playing and betting -- even when they're away
from the tables.
"It's a simple concept when
you think about it," says Peter French, communications
director at Casino Phone Technologies, the company developing
mCasino, "and what makes it fly is that both the
casino industry and casino users want the product."
It remains to be seen if casinos
will truly get on board, as French notes that the company
doesn't yet have any publicly named partners. But it's
easy to imagine why operators would want such technology:
It could effectively extend casinos' games from the floor
to restaurants, hotels and possibly anywhere else a mobile
phone can go.
"We are not introducing these
games to gamers for the first time," says French.
They "play (the) games because (they) already love
them and the chance to win money or prizes. What we are
doing is giving them a new wireless platform. So why be
bored waiting for the bus, or waiting for the train? If
you have some free time and you've got a mobile or PDA,
you can play."
On a strict technology basis, that's
probably true. French says mCasino games would work on
more than 80 percent of Java-enabled mobile phones, smartphones,
Pocket PCs and other devices. And the technology would
allow players mobile access to a wide range of casino
games, including card and dice games, roulette and multiplayer
interactive games such as ice hockey, kick boxing, football
and more.
But Casino Phone Technologies shouldn't
expect to see its mCasino products operating in the United
States any time soon, say those familiar with the technology
and current federal legislation.
"It's an excellent idea,"
says Mark Balestra, vice president of publishing for the
River City Group, a clearinghouse for gaming industry
information. "They would make a lot of money doing
it, but it's subject to approval, and I don't see it getting
approved."
Nevada Gaming Control Board member
Scott Scherer concurs. He says wireless gaming technologies
such as that proposed by Casino Phone Technologies fall
under the federal Wire Act. That means, according to the
Department of Justice, that interstate gambling transactions
conducted via telephone or the Internet are illegal.
And though Nevada might enjoy allowing its gaming constituents
to utilize wireless technology, it would rather not see
any of them get caught up in federal lawsuits. Thus, Scherer
says the state has yet to sign off on anything like mCasino.
"We don't think that it would be good for the state
or the industry to have federal indictments coming down,"
Scherer says.
Yet Scherer does see a future in
which casinos will implement technology that allows players
to keep on gaming even when they've left the floor, particularly
once he and other state gaming regulators are satisfied
that such technologies are hacker-proof and protect parents
from mischievous children.
"I think it's inevitable on
the premises of the casino that you're going to have wireless,"
Scherer says. Players "want to keep playing while
they're listening to the band (and they) want to have
dinner but want to keep track of whatever game they were
playing."
But he also explains that when the
discussion turns to making wireless gaming available outside
the confines of casino property, all bets are off.
"When you get into the policy issues of going outside
the walls of the casino, that gets a lot trickier,"
Scherer says, "and I guess my crystal ball isn't
that clear on where that's going to go."
French believes that outside the
casino walls is exactly where wireless gaming is going,
though he admits that it may take awhile.
He says Casino Phone Technologies
has already conducted a trial in Cambodia and hopes to
eventually partner with operators in countries all across
Europe and Asia, as well as with Nevada and Native American
casinos.
Still, French admits it may take
some time before any government gives the green light.
"Our lawyers have told us that the technology is
pretty much ahead of international regulatory systems,"
he says, "and so there are a lot of gray areas. One
great plus, however, is the lead the U.K. is taking with
regards to this issue. They really get it and understand
(that) by passing comprehensive and user-friendly gaming
legislation that they will reap the considerable financial
benefits, and also become the European center of development
for the mobile-gaming industry." And French also
thinks that other governments will soon find themselves
unable to hold back the tide of innovation in mobile technology.
"Governments, even that of the U.S.," says French,
"are all coming to realize that they can no longer
pretend to be the little Dutch boy with their fingers
in the dam, thinking they can stop the use of mobile technology
for all types of social activities."
Basically this is going to boil
down to how much money is doing the talking. Doesn’t
it always?
As always Check out my picks for
the best Sportsbooks and Casinos Online.
NFL
Sportsbooks Ratings Guide
| | |
