Nevada Bill Would Create List Of Online Cheaters

 

Nevada Assembly Bill 380 is designed to bring clarity to the state’s underwhelming online gambling scene. AB380 mandates the establishment of a list of online cheats, akin to Nevada’s “Black Book.”

Sara Cholhagian Ralston, a professional poker player, and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager from Las Vegas (D-Las Vegas), have co-authored the AB380 bill. The bill mandates that the Nevada Gaming Commission keep a public list of online gambling account holders who have been suspended or banned due to cheating. The information is currently not accessible to the public.

Since Nevada presently only has one online gambling operator, the full responsibility of creating the list would be borne by Caesars, the operator of the World Series of Poker online room.

Providing names for cheater list would fall exclusively on Caesars

Online gambling in Nevada is comprised of poker and sports betting. Interestingly, the law that legalized online poker did not include online casinos, which was likely intentional. As it stands, the only website offering real-money, online poker in Nevada is Caesars’ WSOP room.

The Black Book, an official List of Excluded Persons for physical casinos, currently has 37 names on it. Initiated in 1960, the aim of this list, akin to the AB380, is to safeguard both casino operators and the general public from recognized fraudsters. The responsibility of supervising the list falls under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC).

“This bill mandates the Commission to create rules for setting up a list of individuals who have been suspended or banned from an interactive gaming system due to cheating.”

The concept is straightforward, but the responsibility of supplying names for the list lies with online casino operators. Caesars is presently the only firm in Nevada possessing an online gaming platform. It would be the exclusive company obligated to perform the following:

“Each licensed operator of an interactive gaming system in this State is required to send the Nevada Gaming Control Board the interactive gaming account name, full name, and birth date of any individual who has been suspended or banned from the interactive gaming system due to cheating.”

Caesars says AB380 would bring lawsuits against the company

At a meeting about AB380, Mike Alonso, a lobbyist for Caesars, informed representatives of the Assembly Judicial Committee that the company is vehemently opposed to the bill.

“[It] will inevitably result in costly and taxing lawsuits either due to defamation or from players who believe they have lost money to a purported cheater and seek reimbursement.”

Alonso stated that the bill would transform Caesars into law enforcers.

“We collaborate with them and supply any necessary information via reports… However, we don’t make the decision about cheating. They are a law enforcement agency and have a specific process to follow.”

Assemblyman Ken Gray concurred with Alonso. His apprehension about a list is that it could potentially publically humiliate suspected cheaters without any substantial evidence.

AB380 would place the responsibility of identifying online cheaters on operators. Meanwhile, the Black Book allows gaming regulators to specify who are cheaters in retail casinos.

BetMGM still mum on whether it will add online poker room in Nevada

Rumors of BetMGM launching an online poker room in Nevada have been circulating for over a year. Yet, it has not come to fruition.

When Play Innevada inquired BetMGM about their plans to introduce a new online poker room in Nevada, they declined to comment.

Recently, the NGC granted BetMGM its 13th waiver to start an online poker room.