Location Verification Is Key to Online and Mobile Gaming Growth

SAN FRANCISCO and MIAMI, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nevada Gaming Control Board's ruling last October to allow Nevada residents and visitors to gamble from online and mobile devices from anywhere in the state was welcomed by people who like to gamble and want to be able to do so using their mobile device.  

While Nevada is the only U.S. state where online and mobile gaming is legal today, other states may follow suit following a U.S. Justice Department legal opinion issued in December in response to inquiries from New York and Illinois as to the legality of the sale of lottery tickets on the Internet, and this would further fuel growth in online and mobile gambling. According to the American Gaming Association, global online gaming revenue in 2010 was nearly $30 billion, with roughly $4 billion originating in the U.S.

The challenge is that it is difficult to determine if an online or mobile gamer is physically located in Nevada when he or she places a bet. Locaid Technologies is the first network location provider to meet all of the requirements of the Nevada Gaming Control Board to provide certified, trusted location to enable in-state betting, without the potential for "spoofing" location. The patented Locaid GeoFence uses network location to build virtual, digital perimeters around any location, in any shape or size, such as the state of Nevada. Location data can then be evaluated in context of a physical world map. Using this technology, Locaid can prove that a user is physically with a mobile device, and whether the person is located within Nevada state borders, across any major carrier mobile network – whether the mobile device is indoors or outdoors, GPS-enabled or not, and whether the device is a smartphone, feature phone, or laptop computer.

"Mobile gaming is a market with enormous growth potential, and as the only location service provider to meet all of the requirements of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Locaid is also well positioned for growth in this segment," said Rip Gerber, Locaid president and CEO. "As mobile gaming gains headway, companies that develop and offer online and mobile gaming applications will find that it is imperative to authenticate a gambler's location to be in compliance with state laws and best practices. Locaid is already the trusted provider to a number of providers in the U.S., and we also see an opportunity to partner with international companies that would like to bring online and mobile gaming applications to the U.S."

Locaid's technology also features privacy protection and opt-in agreements to ensure that user information is kept private.  

Several online and mobile gaming companies have already tapped Locaid for location services, including American Wagering and Aristotle.

About Locaid

Locaid is the world's largest Location-as-a-Service (LaaS) company. We operate a location privacy platform that allows mobile developers to locate over 350 million devices for enterprise authentication, fraud management, consumer location services and opt-in mobile marketing. Locaid locates smartphones, feature phones, tablets and any mobile device on leading wireless carriers, including America Movil, AT&T, Rogers, Sprint, T-Mobile, TELUS and Verizon Wireless. Locaid also helps shape and enforce location privacy policies via leadership roles on governing associations, including the CTIA, MMA and IAPP. The largest financial institutions, mobile marketers, M2M platforms and mobile service providers get network location from Locaid. Location Matters.™ You can locate us at http://www.loc-aid.com.

SOURCE Locaid