As reported by Ronda Churchill in the Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday, Irish poker powerhouse Paddy Power will soon play poker in Nevada … potentially. Paddy Power is considered by most industry analysts as the largest legal bookmaker in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and they were given “a preliminary finding of suitability” to operate some type of online poker business in Nevada, Las Vegas in the United States. That is the first step towards Paddy Power offering online pay for play poker in Nevada, a state where they currently have no business interests.

That initial vote of good faith by Nevada Gaming Control Board authorities came on July 11 after a presentation by Paddy Power Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kennedy in which he explained that the Ireland-based company was actively seeking on and off-line gaming opportunities in Nevada as well as other states in the US. He also explained that his company is 100% debt-free, and the only issue Nevada Gaming Control Board members had was with Paddy Power possibly passing strict Nevada gaming compliance standards.

At this early stage though, a finding of suitability was perfectly palatable for Paddy Power, and now they can move forward with qualifying for an interactive gaming license in Nevada. Nevada Gaming Commission board member A. G. Burnett said the new suitability finding is a great way for companies to see if they could potentially qualify to offer their services online in Nevada, before they actually buy a casino or online poker instrument. It obviously makes no sense to buy a car if you can’t drive, and the new suitability hearing is bound to save prospective interactive gaming license purchasers and Nevada gaming officials a lot of money, time and frustration.

Officially announcing Paddy Power’s successful suitability finding, Barnett said, “We welcome you to Nevada and we hope you find a way to come here soon.” What no doubt made the company attractive was their reputation globally as an online poker provider with a sky-high level of integrity. Even before the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act became law, Paddy Power officials decided not to accept any wagers from customers based in the United States. In turning down the potentially multibillion dollar profits the United States could have provided over the years, Paddy Power solidified their reputation as one of the good guys in the online gaming community.

The Irish online gaming company launched an Italian gaming site last month in addition to their British, Irish and online gaming businesses. They also provide online gaming technology and software to online gambling sites located in France, and also to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation in Canada. The company already controls the “largest number of fans of any international bookmaker on Facebook” according to Kennedy, who also stated that their largest growing business components are the applications used to provide mobile devices with legal wagering capabilities. The mobile sports betting segment of online gambling is expected to reach $45 billion by 2017. This first important step out of the way, the Nevada Gaming Commission is due to rule on the Control Board’s recommendation for Paddy Power’s Nevada interactive gaming license on July 26.

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