by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jun 12, 2012 | Updated on Jun 12, 2012Wynn Resorts is already one of the world’s biggest names in land-based casino action, owning and operating a number of casinos in Las Vegas, Macau and other locations. Now, it looks like the casino giant is taking steps to become a player in the online world as well.Wynn Resorts Ltd. Submitted an application to the Nevada Gaming Control Board this week in the hopes of obtaining a license to operate an online poker site in the state. Wynn is just the latest in a flurry of companies that are trying to get a foothold in Nevada’s coming regulated online poker marketplace – the first of its kind in the United States.When it first became clear that Nevada was likely to approve online poker regulations, Wynn appeared to be one of the early adopters who would have a golden opportunity to take advantage of the new market that would develop. In early 2011, Wynn entered into a partnership with PokerStars, with the two sides agreeing that they would work together in any regulated online poker framework that came into existence stateside.However, that deal fell through after the events of Black Friday, as Wynn understandably didn’t think partnering with PokerStars would help put them in a good position for obtaining licenses in the US. Since then, Wynn had made few moves to suggest they were still a potential player in the online poker landscape.However, that seems to be changing. Not only has Wynn applied for a license in Nevada, but they also appear to be working towards new partnerships that could help give them the necessary software to offer online poker to players. In the past two months, Wynn has been in talks with Zynga about a potential partnership. Zynga offers play money poker on Facebook, but has expressed interest in possibly adding real money games in the future.While the combination of Wynn and Zynga would have serious clout in Nevada’s online poker market, they might have to wait a while before any of this comes to fruition. Wynn will be behind several other casino companies that have already submitted license applications and have partnerships with poker networks or sites that already offer real money play. Conversely, nothing between Wynn and Zynga is official, and even if it were, Zynga has yet to apply for their own license, and does not yet offer real money games.
