Caesars Entertainment has lodged an objection to a proposal that requires regulators to compile a roster of online poker players who have been banned or suspended for engaging in fraudulent activities.
The company voiced its disapproval of bill AB380 during a reading held by the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Caesars told the committee that the bill would create a burden for the company as it is the only online poker provider in the state of Nevada.
The committee also heard from professional poker player Sara Cholhagian Ralston, who drafted the legislation. She proposed an amendment to the bill that tackles privacy and liability issues while eliminating any phrasing that might impede the due process employed by state gaming authorities.
Despite these changes, Caesars continued to push back against the proposal. According to Caesars lobbyist Mike Alonso, the company works with the Gaming Control Board “on a daily basis” and does “everything reasonably possible to keep bad actors off the [online poker] site.”
He went on to add :
“[the proposal could lead] to expensive and burdensome litigation for damaging someone’s reputation or from players who think that they lost money to an alleged cheater and want compensation.”
Alonso also noted that the Gaming Control Board and Caesars work hard to exclude cheats from the site:
“We cooperate with them and provide whatever we are required through reports. But we don’t make that determination. They’re a law enforcement agency and they go through a process.”
Ralston told the committee that transparency for Nevada’s poker community and consumer protection were the main goals.
“I’d like to remind this committee that this is for real money. Poker players have a livelihood that they need to maintain. In the online poker world, we don’t have that level of transparency. You don’t know who you’re playing against. They need to have that type of information that’s relevant so a player can decide who to play with and who we don’t want to play with.”
In 2013, Nevada legalized online poker, but right now there is only one site, World Series of Poker, operated by Caesars Entertainment. Due to the absence of multiple online poker sites, the state does not disclose the revenue generated from the industry.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.
