Las Vegas Sands Launches Online Casino
Las Vegas Sands shocked the online gambling world this week by announcing that it will launch a real-money internet casino for the U.K. this spring. Sands’ online venture will combine elements of the popular Las Vegas casino gaming brand and feature an entire package of casino games and poker. Players in the U.S. will not be allowed access to the site.
“This is another opportunity for our company to create a greater awareness of our global brand and further establish our presence and interest in the British market,” said Bill Widner, president and CEO of Las Vegas Sands. “Additionally, as the internet gaming environment continues to evolve, these efforts will put us in a strong position to evaluate and respond to other potential opportunities.”
Sands will set up an online venture in Alderney, a British channel island widely regarded as a “Phase 1” regulator of online gambling, as it holds the licenses to the highest standards and consumer safety.
Cantor Gaming, an affiliate of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, has developed software that will power Sands’ online casinos. Cantor Gaming will offer software that features Las Vegas Sands brands Palazzo, Paiza, Venetic, and the Sands. Cantor Gaming currently runs FHM Gaming for the publisher of FHM magazine.
Las Vegas Sands will be the first U.S.-based casino company to try its luck running an internet gaming site for foreign viewers since Harrah’s Entertainment shut down scratch-and-ready site LuckyMe.com six months into its operation in October 2004. LuckyMe was based on Island of Man, another British channel.
MGM Mirage opened an internet casino with real money on the Isle of Man in September 2001, but a company spokesperson closed in June 2004 citing “uncertain political and legal climate” in Washington. 안전한 파워볼사이트