by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jun 7, 2012 | Updated on Jun 7, 2012In a historic moment for online poker in the United States, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has given permission to Bally Technologies to run an online, intrastate poker site in the state of Nevada.The decision, which came on Wednesday, won’t immediately allow Bally to start offering poker games in the state. First, the application must still be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which will meet on June 21, when the issue will likely be brought up.If Bally is successful at that hearing, they will then have a license to operate an online poker site – but they still won’t be ready to start offering games to the public. First, they’ll need to have their technology vetted by Nevada regulations before they can go live. In addition, Bally will need to partner with a brick-and-mortar casino company based in Nevada in order to be eligible to offer games to citizens there.In anticipation of offering online poker games, Bally has already made steps to ensure they’ll have the infrastructure in place to run a site. In April, Bally acquired Chiligaming, which gave Bally access to online poker software. That software can then be offered to a brick-and-mortar casino in Nevada, who can offer the poker games under their name.Before becoming officially licensed, Bally will also be required to pay a licensing fee to the state of Nevada. The current cost of such a fee is listed at $125,000, though it seems possible that this cost may come down when regulations are finalized.Bally is not the only company that hopes to receive good news from Nevada this week. At Thursday’s Gaming Control Board meeting, members will discuss the application by casino manufacturer International Game Technology. Like Bally, IGT hopes to gain a license to be a software provider, and will have to partner with a Nevada-based casino in order to offer online poker in the state.
