You can finally play some real-money online casino games in Las Vegas from your smart phone, tablet or computer.
MGM Resorts International has launched a platform where visitors to its resorts can participate in online slot tournaments with cash prizes, calledeasyPLAY Mobile Tournaments. The Nevada Gaming Control Board approved the product for use in the state.
It’s not a full suite of games like one would find in New Jersey, but it’s an improvement over what is available now in Nevada. Previously, the only option to play anything online was poker, which is pretty much limited to the WSOP network.
MGM online slot play: The basics
The product from MGM and mobile gaming tech company oneLIVE inc is not for pure slot machine play. It allows users to play against one another in regularly scheduled slot tournaments for prizes.
Some of the details of how and where you can play:
- You must be 21 years of age and a U.S. resident to play.
- You must be located at one of nine MGM resorts: Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, Luxor, New York-New York or Excalibur.
- You must be connected to the resort’s wifi when playing; it cannot be done via a cell phone data plan.
While you can play on a mobile device, MGM has also installed InteractivePro Tables that are located in the nine resorts above.
Rooms are also included in some of the rewards, making it possible to win a stay at places like the MGM Grand or The Mirage. For a complete list of all the comps, check out MyVegas.com. So even if you have to travel to Las Vegas on your own cost, there are enough prizes to make your stay extra comfortable or luxurious.
Right now there are a limited number of slot and bingo products to choose from. MGM said in its press release that more offerings are on the way.
The idea behind the online slot tourneys
The slot tourneys at MGM amount to dipping a toe in the water to real-money online gambling at Nevada casinos.
The core idea? People may want to gamble while doing something else:
“The introduction of easyPLAY® Mobile Tournaments at our MGM Resorts properties gives our guests an exciting, new opportunity to play their favorite games while enjoying the best Las Vegas has to offer,” said Tom Mikulich, Senior Vice President of Business Development for MGM, in the press release.
“The tournaments are extremely user-friendly, provide players with a variety of game options including slots and bingo, among others, and bring an element of competition that our guests will enjoy whether they are sitting at a bar enjoying a drink or simply hanging out by the pool.”
The tournaments are also a low commitment for now — both in terms of time and money — with buy-ins of $10 and less, and consisting of 25 spins.
MGM is also offering the All Summer Long Winner Takes All Progressive Slot Tournament. For just $5, anyone who enters before September 4 could win the minimum grand prize of $10,000.
Just the beginning?
Nevada online gambling is not likely to end with slot tournaments.
The Nevada Gaming Policy Committee met in May and plans tolook more closely at online gambling productsin the state.
And MGM is not close to finished with the online gambling space; from CNBC:
Mgm Online Casino
“This mobile platform that was just released is going to lay the foundation for what we do in the future,” said Lovell Walker, executive director of Interactive Gaming Development at MGM Resorts. “We think that mobile is going to be a major part of gaming.”
It’s safe to look for more movement in Nevada online gambling in the coming months and years.
Slots player Cynthia Obie was ecstatic when she hit the jackpot at the MGM National Harbour Casino in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The win was worth several thousand dollars, but the casino refused to pay out.
- Woman hit jackpot at MGM National Harbor Casino
- Casino staff recorded her Social Security number incorrectly
- The casino was legally required to confiscate her winnings
- Winner mistakenly identified as owing child support money
In an interview with the local Fox News station, Obie spoke about her excitement with the win, as she needed the cash, but did not want to disclose exactly how much the jackpot was worth. She said she was an occasional casino goer and had been there that night with one of her friends on a night out.
An unfortunate sequence of events
As per the rules and regulations for casinos cashing out winnings, the staff at the casino took down info from the woman’s ID and some other key pieces of information. However, they mistakenly recorded an incorrect Social Security number, accidentally getting one of the digits wrong.
The person who subsequently came up on the casino’s system was an individual who had a large debt in the state. The debt was partly unpaid child support and partly monies owed to the government of Maryland.
The casino therefore refused to pay out any winnings to Obie. Obie began pleading with the staff, pointing out that she had never had to pay child support and knew it must be a misunderstanding.
By the time the casino discovered the error with the Social Security number, it was too late for Obie.
MGM has said its employees were following Maryland law and that the issue was no longer in their hands. The only thing the casino did to offer compensation was to give Obie free play chips worth $200. It also gave her some vouchers for drinks on the night of the incident.
Obie now plans to contact the Gaming Control Agency to discuss the incident.
What happens next?
When Obie left the casino without her money, she was told to get in touch with the Human Services Agency in Maryland to clear up the misunderstanding. The HSA is the body that looks after child support issues.
However, after paying a visit to their offices, Obie had made no progress on the issue. Her main gripe still lies with the casino itself.
She told the casino: “Frustrated, but now I’m at the point this is insane. You guys are a billion dollar corporation, you do the research. I won fair and square. I just want my money.”
MGM told Fox 5: “We are aware of this unfortunate error and have taken the necessary steps to assist Ms. Obie in rectifying this issue. Due to MLGCA rules and Maryland state law, we cannot provide an additional payout for this jackpot.
“However, if she presents the proper identification credentials to the Maryland Gaming Commission, they will provide her with the appropriate payout. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Ms. Obie.”
The incident has triggered some community backlash for the casino. Some locals say the fault lies with the MGM National Harbor Casino, and nobody else, as it was casino staff who wrote down the incorrect Social Security number that led to Obie not receiving her winnings.