As the online gaming market slowly evolves, many companies are preparing to capitalize on it once the legislative process moves forward. In one of the latest announcements, Zynga has applied to get licensed in Nevada. According to a recent statement from Zynga:
Zynga has filed its Application for a Preliminary Finding of Suitability from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This filing continues our strategic effort to enter regulated RMG markets in a prudent way. We anticipate that the process will take approximately 12 to 18 months to complete. As we’ve said previously, the broader U.S. market is an opportunity that’s further out on the horizon based on legislative developments, but we are preparing for a regulated market. We’ve also recently partnered with bwin.party to bring the highest quality real money gaming experiences to our UK players in the first half of 2013.
Social gaming has been an active field in 2012 and from what we are seeing 2013 will likely see even more activity.The legal issues and regulatory enforcements will continue to increase.
While many companies are focusing on real money gambling, many other companies are focusing on various forms of gamblification – the use of gambling mechanics for non-real money gambling purposes. The use of virtual goods and virtual currency in gamblification models, though prevalent, further complicates the legal issues. Our team has advised numerous companies on the legal issues with gamblification, including the use of virtual goods and virtual currency. If you would like more information on thees issues please contact us.