Nevada sports betting represents a significant part of the gambling industry in the state, but this time it’s all about casinos.
Silver State casinos are legendary for always having an “eye in the sky”, but now state lawmakers hope to take security to another level by addressing online poker cheating. If passed in 2023, in its current form, Assembly Bill 380 (AB380) would subject online poker cheaters to the possibility of a lifetime ban.
Sara Cholhagian Ralston, the former executive director of the state’s Patient Protection Commission, said she’s working on the bill in her (personal) role as a professional poker player with Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas).
Ab 380 Not Intended to Be Nevada’s Digital Black Book
The legislation is not intended to establish an internet gambling equivalent of Nevada’s List of Excluded Persons, also known as the Black Book. Ralston said the measure was drawn up to increase transparency in Nevada’s online poker community.
The Nevada Black Book is a list maintained by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). It is a list of individuals who are banned from entering or working in any casino or gambling establishment in the state of Nevada.
The list includes people who have been convicted of a felony, committed a gaming-related crime, or have been deemed unsuitable to participate in the gaming industry due to their criminal history or associations. The purpose of the list is to protect the integrity of the gaming industry in Nevada by keeping out individuals who could potentially engage in criminal activities or cheat the casinos.
Being on the Nevada Black Book is a serious matter, and individuals on the list are prohibited from entering any casino in the state. Anyone who violates this ban could face criminal charges and penalties.
What Is the Intention of Nevada AB 380?
The current text of the legislation reads: “The Commission shall by regulation provide for the establishment of a list of persons who have been suspended or banned from an interactive gaming system for cheating. Any such list is a public record and must include, without limitation, the interactive gaming account name, full name, and date of birth of any such person.”
Additional language lays out the new regulations and spells out what operators will have to do. The bill reads: “Require each licensed operator of interactive gaming in this State to transmit to the Board the interactive gaming account name, full name, and date of birth of any such person who has been suspended or banned from the interactive gaming system.”
Nevada Online Poker Bill Expected to Generate Long Discussion
Partygaming’s Head of Game Integrity Juha Pasanen outlined several issues online poker sites will face if and when the industry moves towards a blacklist. It includes getting permission from the many jurisdictions the sites are operating in. His company operates in 14 different jurisdictions alone.
On top of that, proving someone is cheating online is incredibly hard. Nevada has had online poker up and running since 2013, but there have not been attempts to clamp down on cheaters outside of what operators deem necessary.
If enacted in 2023, the bill would become effective on Jan. 1, 2024. But the language is expected to change in the coming months.
*Bookmakers Review will continue to follow the developments.
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