South Point Casino Las Vegas owner Michael Gaughan announced yesterday that he will soon be launching a free online poker site through Las Vegas-based operator ZEN Gaming. According to Gaughan, the site is expected to open in the "next couple of weeks".

 

"This is an experiment for me," Gaughan told GamingToday. "I’m just getting my feet wet but I expect that down the line I am going to be applying for an intrastate license."

 

Gaughan has been a huge supported of online poker in Las Vegas and has backed Nevada's bill since it was created in March. Gaughan is quite hopeful that taxed and regulated online poker will be widely available in the near future.

 

Gaughan is following closely behind 2006 WSOP Champion Jamie Gold, who recently opened his own poker site on the ZEN Entertainment Network as well. ZEN's websites, which are supported by sponsorships and ad revenue, are completely free to play and even offer real cash and prizes to players.

 

South Point Casino has had its fair share of poker action over the past few years, including hosting Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. South Point has also played host to the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon since 2006.