Gambling to go wireless in Nevada

Cantor Fitzgerald's prototype device isn't much bigger than a checkbook, can slip easily into a coat pocket, and is already used in Britain for sports betting.

Falcone doesn't expect the devices to account for any serious revenue or be a significant driver of growth. And besides, state regulators won't approve them until they're persuaded that they can be effectively monitored.

Cantor Fitzgerald says that won't be a problem.

Its wireless device uses a form of encryption to ensure security, said Joe Asher, managing director of Cantor G&W.

Asher would not disclose details about the encryption method, and said a biometric system that reads a permitted user's fingerprint could also be used if regulators prefer.

The wireless devices would be linked to a server that could verify the gambler is the person who checked out one of the devices at a casino.

Asher says the devices could be set to stop working in non-authorized areas, and players could establish limits in advance by depositing money in an account.

High losses in a short period could cause the device to shut down — keeping problem gamblers from going too far in the hole.

"Security is a big deal and we are very familiar with it because we operate in that world today," Asher said.

While Cantor Fitzgerald may see lucre in wireless gambling, the lone state legislator to vote against the bill sees nothing but headaches and lost income for people like her.

Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, a waitress at the coffee shop at Treasure Island resort in Las Vegas, says it's bad enough that the state has allowed Keno to be played away from the casino floor.

"There needs to be places where there aren't two and three gaming devices at your disposal," she said. "It's hard enough to get somebody's order when they're trying to fill out a Keno slip. All I need to find out from them is how they like their eggs and what kind of toast they want."

And what about enforcing rules for who can use the devices and where, asks Carlton.

"What's going to be my responsibility?" she wonders. "Am I going to be obligated to turn someone in if I see them hand it to their kid?"

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