On May 19, the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) granted unlimited gaming licenses to U.K.-based Entain and Illinois-based Accel Entertainment, both of which were previously operating under limited license in the state due to previous regulatory concerns.
In the case of Entain, commissioners had concerns over its previous involvement in unregulated markets around the world. It was reported in January that it had pulled out of approximately 140 such markets as part of overarching compliance efforts.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, Chairman Barry Gibson said at the hearing that the company “lost $100 million in profit by pulling out, but you can’t judge profit against doing the right thing.”
He added that 95 percent of revenue now comes from regulated markets or those in the process of doing so, like Brazil. The company was operating under a three-year limited license before the recent approval.
Entain is partners with MGM Resorts in the online sports betting and iGaming operator BetMGM, and also owns Stadium Technology Group, a U.S.-focused gaming software supplier.
Accel is a route operator that was operating under a two-year license due to regulatory issues in its home state of Illinois. The company was accused of violating a law that barred operators from incentivizing establishments to keep their machines installed. It was fined $5 million by the state, and eventually settled for $1.1 million last June.
Accel Chairman Karl Peterson told commissioners that the company has revamped its due diligence processes for vendors and said that it “is fully committed to meeting your standards as a licensee,” per CDC.
Shortly after the two-year license was granted, Accel greatly expanded its presence on the West Coast by completing its $164.2 million purchase of Century Gaming, which had a large share of the Nevada and Montana markets.
