Ultimate Poker Moves to Next Step Following Final Nevada Approval

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Monday, July 29th, 2013 | Written by Shane Larson

Nevada’s first regulated online poker site hit another milestone this week.

That site is, of course, Ultimate Poker. And the milestone in question is the final – one might even say “ultimate” – approval of the site’s software product by Nevada gaming authorities.

Specifically, the Nevada Gaming Commission has signed off on Ultimate’s poker software following the successful conclusion of a multi-month “field trial” overseen by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

“Today we became the first to receive final approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board,” remarked Ultimate Gaming CEO Tobin Prior.

“The board set extensive regulatory requirements for online poker in the state, and we are thrilled that our product has met and exceeded these standards.”

Approval comes several months after launch

Ultimate Poker dealt their opening hand of poker back in the closing days of April 2013. With final approval being granted on July 25th, that means nearly three months have passed since the Ultimate Poker site went live.

That span is even more significant when you consider that Ultimate intentionally launched with a streamlined product – one that lacked some of the most basic features found in, say, European online poker software platforms – with the stated goal of reducing regulatory friction.

One can only imagine what the process would be like for a fully-functioning client. That doesn’t bode well for Caesars and their Nevada partner 888 Poker, as the existing 888 client is densely packed with features and – in all reality – is likely bloated and complex after so many iterations over the last decade it’s been active.

The approval doesn’t mean that Ultimate is free and clear from regulatory oversight. Their software will still be subject to testing and reporting requirements. The easiest way to think of this is as a probationary period ending, and a period of reduced – but still substantial – oversight beginning.

Ultimate remains only operating site in Nevada market

While Ultimate Poker wasn’t the first to receive a license in Nevada (that honor went to South Point, who recently reshuffled their online plans) nor was Ultimate the most well-known poker brand (most would give the nod to the WSOP there).

But Ultimate Poker was the first to market, and now with this approval has put additional space between their room and the rooms of their competitors.

To date, no other rooms have launched for real-money play (unless you count the “oops” launch of WSOP.com in July that was quickly shut down). In fact, we don’t even have firm launch dates from other rooms.

Treasure Island and 888 mentioned a late summer target a few months ago, but there have been few updates since. And the WSOP missed their target date tied to the Main Event of the World Series of Poker this July, suggesting that the process for the company’s online poker effort is more complicated (and unpredictable) than Ultimate’s was.

Will approval be a boon to Ultimate’s New Jersey prospects?

Almost certainly. While we don’t know of any formal information-sharing agreement between New Jersey regulators and Nevada regulators, it seems obvious on face that Ultimate will have a powerful argument for timely – perhaps even expedited – approval of their software in New Jersey.

After all, Ultimate can not only share with New Jersey officials the reporting and related data required by the Nevada field trial, but they can also point to some 10 million hands dealt under a fairly strict regulatory eye with minimal issues. You can, of course, debate the value of those particular assets, but what isn’t up for debate is that Ultimate Poker is the only room that can lay claim to them.