Online gambling in Las Vegas: laws and regulations
Online sports betting and poker have long taken place legally in Las Vegas, but igaming is still not permitted under Nevada’s laws and regulations.
Las Vegas is widely known as the gambling capital of the US due to its grand casinos on The Strip, but what about online gambling?
While many states in the US are only just beginning to iron out the fine details of their online gambling legislation, Nevada’s regulated online gambling market dates back to 2010.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), the body that regulates gambling activities in the state, is the final authority on licensing matters and has the power to approve, restrict, limit, revoke or suspend gaming licences.
At present, its regulations for online gambling stand as follows:
Sports betting
Unaffected by the federal ban on sports betting, the state was able to introduce regulations for online sports betting via websites and mobile sportsbook apps in 2010.
Since then, Nevada sportsbooks have been able to offer their services on internet and mobile platforms, although customer registration must be completed at a land-based casino.
Offshore sportsbooks are also legally available to residents since no state or Federal gambling law directly prohibits them.
Poker
Nevada legalised online poker in 2013, becoming the second US state to do so after Delaware. Interstate poker has been available since 2015, with new states added to the agreement in 2018.
Nevada’s online poker legislation, AB 114, permits players to play for real money on licensed online poker sites within the state’s borders. Players are only permitted to hold a single account on each site.
The transfer of player funds is prohibited by the NGCB and operators must hold a reserve equal to combined player funds. The rake cannot exceed 10 percent.
A 10-year “bad actors clause” prohibits offshore poker sites from gaining licences to operate in the state.
Since the bill came into effect in 2013, the NGCB has issued several online poker licenses but WSOP.com (owned by Caesars Entertainment) accounts for nearly all of online traffic.
Igaming
Despite a fairly liberal stance on online gambling, the state does not allow online casino apps in order to protect its world-renowned land-based casino operations. However, Nevada residents are able to use free social gambling sites.
