The PlayAway System, in which computer users can gamble from home, is most definitely catching on in northern Nevada. And although casinos in southern Nevada are having a hard time getting the system fully green-lighted (such as the case was with Foxwoods Casino when they were met with legal resistance after giving the system a go), it will most likely only be a matter of time before it will be fully embraced by Las Vegas.
There are already six casinos in northern Nevada using the PlayAway System developed by GameLogic – An advanced gambling software system that lets players purchase prepaid tickets in an actual casino, which they can then use as credit when logging into the casino software system. The players can then go back to the participating casino and cash out any winning they may have accumulated. The system remains legal because there is no logging into offshore servers or virtual exchange of moneys obtained directly from gambling. By using a legalized gambling establishment like the casino to cash out winnings, as well as having the casino run their own gaming server, the idea is that players are indirectly gambling on the internet.
And now that the system has already proven successful at land-based gambling sites like Casino Fandango, GameLogic has works underway that will spread the PlayAway System into southern Nevada casinos, as well as Gulf Coast, New Jersey and Indian casinos.
Nevada Gaming Control Board member, Mark Clayton, described the system as a set of predetermined results that simply lets the player realize them via their home computer. The system itself does not determine the casino game outcome. Rather, it serves as an interface that shares the game results with the player. Although based on fair odds, the luck is in the ticket paid for by the player. When all is said and done, the player can then cash out their virtual/online account at the casino.