The major European gaming companies are now starting to set their sights on the US market and several have their applications already submitted for approval, with Paddy Power being one of them. The Irish gaming giant is a public company and has no previous record of accepting US players so the coast should be clear for them.
They actually submitted their application a long time ago; in August 2010 to be exact and they are expecting an answer before the Christmas break.
Paddy has submitted two applications, one to be a manufacturer and distributor of gaming equipment, the other to be an operator of mobile gaming systems and handheld devices.
The Nevada State Control Board claims the applications were on a “tentative agenda” but Mark Lipparelli confirmed that, “We do not make comments on applications in their pendency”.
As a publicly traded company they must play by the rules as Paddy COO Breon Corcoran explained: “The method of applying for the manufacturer and distributors license has been used in the past by people who want to pass probity to then allow them to consider a broad number of options.”
Many industry experts think that once you get a Nevada License, if other states legalize online gaming this will lead the way to get into those other jurisdictions; and even pave the way for in roads if there is online poker federal legislation passed.
The one thing about Paddy Power as they continually look for new emerging markets and licensed jurisdictions on an ongoing basis.
So their legal team is always busy with applications and the demands of entering a new market like the US. As a public company they must be transparent and only operate in legal markets.
Speaking of North America, Paddy Power has also been in the Canadian marketplace already and was taking bets from Canadians until Feb 14, 2012.
They have also been working with the British Columbia government on their site Playnow.com providing the odds services while Openbet provides the sports betting software.
It looks like the over all strategy for Paddy Power will be to play by the jurisdiction rules in Canada and more importantly in the US market.
Surely they’ve done the ROI and realize they will profit it the long run and in a legal manner. This will make it easier for them to get licensed and not have to worry about paying any huge fines from past operations.
Stay tuned for when the Nevada Gaming Commission approves their application and Paddy Power starts offering online poker in America.
