MGM Resorts CEO wants legalisation of online casinos in Nevada

Bill Hornbuckle says online casinos offers Nevada a “significant opportunity for growth”.

US.- Nevada is being left behind as other states legalise online gaming, Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts CEO says. In a panel discussion during The Nevada Independent’s IndyFest, he said that Nevada is “missing a significant opportunity for growth”.

MGM has online casinos in five states through its BetMGM platform: Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and Hornbuckle expects the platform to make “a billion dollars in net gaming revenue next year.”

There was to be a workshop in May to discuss potential changes to allow Nevada to offer full online casino gaming, but the Nevada Gaming Control Board postponed the session. It said it wanted to wait until after the legislature adjourned in June, but the workshop hasn’t yet been rescheduled.

In August, a group of gaming operators led by Station Casinos voiced opposition to expanding Nevada’s online gaming regulations. They said proposed changes should be explored by the governor’s Gaming Policy Committee and approved by state lawmakers.

Hornbuckle said: “[Online gaming] could be significant not only for the state, but for the industry and nationally, and potentially even on a global basis.”

See also: Online gambling in Las Vegas: laws and regulations