Wireless casino system provider Spin3 launched several new products this week at 3GSM World Congress Asia in Singapore, unfazed by recent legislation in the US regulating online gambling.
New items on display included a Chinese-language version of one of its SpinLite products (the Tomb Raider video slot machine game), and Ki-Bi cards that can be used to distribute its wireless casino games.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, signed into law by US president George W Bush on October 13 by way of a port security legislation bill it was attached to, makes it a crime for banks to process and transfer funds received via illegal online betting sites.
Many online gambling sites with operations in the US cried foul over the law. One UK-based company, Sportingbet, sold off its US business as a result, while another, PartyGaming, suspended real-money gambling for US residents.
However, Spin3 CEO Matti Zinder said he was bullish about mobile gambling, partly because the law is vague on what constitutes "illegal" gambling, and partly because the US is only one market of many for wireless betting.
"If it's done well and the quality is managed and the right safeguards are put in place, there's a huge potential market [for wireless gambling] outside the US," Zinder told telecomasia.net. "The US isn't really a market for us. Our focus is on Europe and Asia, where we think our products will take off."