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Video game developer 3G Studios filed with the Nevada Gaming Control Board for multiple Online Service Provider’s licenses, making them the first video game company to move into the U.S. online gambling market. With this move, 3G Studios will be the first video game company to be approved for real-money gambling in the U.S.
These licenses allow 3G Studios to stand alone as an innovative leader in the emerging field of mobile gambling. 3G Studios understands the technological back end and the user experience that drives gaming, and they also have the advantage of being immersed in Nevada’s gambling environment.
3G Studios plans to launch one of the nation’s first licensed, for-money U.S.-based poker sites. The site will initially be restricted to Nevada residents, and geo-location software will ensure that gamblers are located in Nevada at the time of the wager. The site will also feature other casino-style games that can be played for virtual currency, and as U.S. gambling restrictions loosen, may be also played for real money in the future.
“Mobile and online gambling will revolutionize the U.S. gambling industry,” said James Kosta, Founder and CEO of 3G Studios. “With our extensive experience in video game development, mobile gaming, social gaming and gambling technology, 3G Studios is uniquely positioned within this emerging industry. We plan to leverage that experience to deliver the next-generation gambling experience to a much wider demographic.”
Kosta said this opportunity opens up a new accessibility to gambling that is critical to engaging a wider demographic, many of whom grew up on console video games and now casually game on their smart phones.
An August decision by a Federal Judge ruled that poker was a game of skill opened the door for online poker sites to surface in states that legalized the practice. Nevada joined Delaware in legalizing online gambling, and at least 10 other states are expected to follow suit next year.
3G Studios is a Reno, Nev.-based gaming company known for best-selling console video games and one of the most sophisticated poker console games to ever be released (MTV’s Stacked with Daniel Negreanu). 3G Studios’ experience in immersive console games as well as social and mobile games gives the Nevada company a unique perspective on the evolving U.S. gambling landscape. 3G Studios has also licensed technology and games to gambling-industry heavyweights IGT (International Game Technology) and Bally.
About 3G Studios
Founded in 2006, 3G Studios is a video game and technology developer that has worked on titles such as Rock Band for the Sony PS3 in collaboration Harmonix, Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009 for the Nintendo Wii, and Facebook first-person shooter Brave Arms. 3G works across a myriad of platforms from traditional consoles and handhelds to mobile and web-based games. 3G worked extensively on video streaming solutions used by some of the largest streaming video providers in the world. In late 2010, the company expanded into casino game development for clients such as IGT.
