Cantor Gaming Enters China Market With Lottery

LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Cantor Gaming is the latest Las Vegas-based gambling company to move into the Chinese market.

The sports betting and mobile gambling company announced this week that it will help operate a lottery club in the large northern city of Tianjin, along with partners Global Entertainment Investment & Management Co. and the Tianjin Welfare Lottery club.

Cantor will provide infrastructure and technological know-how, and will allow the club to offer wireless wagering, as opposed to paper-based betting.

Cantor is advertising the new 80,000-square-foot club as a stylish place with mah jong parlors, private dining rooms, and lounges, as well as lottery games.

Casino games are banned in mainland China. Only the tiny gambling enclave of Macau allows favorites like baccarat and slot machines. But executives say the Cantor Club will match the luxurious atmosphere of a traditional casino.

"We are proud to provide Cantor Club with the very best, most sophisticated technology systems that match this premier, world-leading venue," CEO Lee Amaitis said in a statement.

China offered a limited number of gambling licenses in the early 2000s, and companies that did not have the foresight to compete for them now find themselves shut out of the world's largest gambling market and looking for other ways to lure Chinese customers.

Cantor Gaming is Nevada's largest sports book operator, and was the first company licensed by state regulators to manufacture and operate a mobile gambling system. The company provides gambling technology to Celebrity Cruises, and has also done business in the Bahamas.