From Associated Press
May 25, 2006 5:41 PM EDT


LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas Sands Corp. said Thursday it will be the first Nevada company to introduce mobile gambling devices at its casinos.

The owner of The Venetian hotel-casino said it would introduce games such as black jack, roulette, poker and slots as early as this year on handheld devices provided by Cantor G & W (Nevada) LP, an affiliate of the financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald.

The company said it would provide the mobile gambling services at The Venetian after a field trial late this year or early next and after receiving regulatory approval. It also plans to introduce the devices at The Palazzo, a $1.8 billion resort scheduled to open next door in late 2007.

In March, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved regulations that enable gambling on mobile devices in any public area of the state's casinos but not in hotel rooms or other places that cannot be supervised.

Cantor managing director Joe Asher said the deal makes the company the Sands' exclusive mobile gambling provider but does not prevent Cantor from making deals elsewhere.

Las Vegas Sands shares rose $3.57, or 5.9 percent, to close at $63.67 on the New York Stock Exchange.