Sunday, September 10, 2006

State gaming regulators granted a third casino-equipment manufacturer
tentative approval Thursday to operate wireless hand-held gambling devices
in Nevada. But Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander thought it
would be six months at the earliest before the devices could find their way
into Nevada casinos. The three-member control board gave Fortunet
preliminary approval to distribute hand-held equipment for full casino
gaming. The company's devices are now in use in bingo rooms around the
state. The Nevada Gaming Commission will make a final ruling Sept. 21.
Previously, state regulators approved Cantor G&W and slot machine giant
International Game Technology to compete in the emerging mobile gambling
market. The regulations covering the use of wireless gaming equipment were
approved earlier this year. However, Neilander said the equipment must still
be tested and approved by the control board laboratory and then operated and
evaluated in a 90-day field trial. "I think we're still at least six months
away from seeing these devices out in casinos, maybe longer," Neilander
said. Fortunet Chief Executive Officer Yuri Itkis said his company's
devices, which are about the size of tablet-sized personal computers, are
now used with bingo games. But customers can also use them for nongaming
purposes, such as playing solitare or listening to music.
Itkis said the initial goal is to equip the devices for keno, video poker,
and slot games. His plan is to market the devices to bingo customers already
familiar with the hand-held equipment, trying to encourage the players to
gamble on other games, too.

In a presentation to gaming regulators, Itkis said the devices have several
built-in security measures to protect the casino and the customer.

Recently, Itkis said Fortunet's wireless gambling devices were used in a
casino on a major ocean cruise ship. A confidentiality agreement forbade him
from divulging the cruise line's name, but he told the control board the
test seemed to be successful.