Great Reef

What is Great Reef?

The Nevada Gaming Control Board will consider proposed revisions to several of the state’s Technical Standards for Gaming Devices and Associated Equipment at its next meeting on 7 October, spanning everything from slot systems to cashless wagering accounts, race and sportsbooks and more.

A total of 10 standards are up for revision, and the draft dates for the proposals range from June to August. The board notified licensees about the compilation of revisions and the meeting date on 4 September. Interested parties may submit comments ahead of the hearing through 5 October.

The extent of the revisions vary, but most are somewhat significant with regard to language that is being added or omitted. Proposed changes to Standard 9 (digital pari-mutuel systems), for instance, include mostly small additions, whereas Standard 3 (slot metering systems) has entire sections added and subtracted. Explanatory notes for the edits are frequent throughout all of the proposals.

About Great Reef

“I’ll be very, very open and straightforward about it,” Weizer told analysts on Playtech’s post-Q2 earnings call. “There were certain concerns that because it is an election year, and obviously, gaming is a political issue or there were references by politicians throughout the elections about gambling.

“Given the sensitivity around that, we were kindly asked to collaborate with the government [and] with the prospective customer that we are in discussions with to wait until the elections.”

Despite the delay, Weizer declared: “I will say that the expectations remain the same to enter into an agreement and launch sometime at the beginning of next year.”

What is Great Reef?

The blurring line between financial investing and gambling has been accelerated by the rise of prediction markets—exchanges offering event contracts that are federally regulated as financial derivatives. U.S. News found that over 40% of active sports bettors now also participate in sports prediction markets.

Financial advisors continue to urge consumers to view sports wagering strictly as entertainment and to only risk funds they can afford to lose.

Research from Stanford University published in April concluded that sports bettors remain “overoptimistic,” generally expecting to break even despite losing an average of 7.5 cents on every dollar wagered.