J I M R YA N / PA L A I N T E R A C T I V E / Q & A
JIM RYAN TELLS EGAMING REVIEW WHY HE’S NOT WORRIED
ABOUT US PROFITS, AND HOW HE HAS PUT THE ULTIMATEBET
CHEATING SCANDAL FIRMLY BEHIND HIM
I
t’s a strange time for US online gambling, with the
initial enthusiasm all but evaporated as operators in
Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey struggle to keep
their heads above the water. In October Ultimate
Gaming became the first casualty of the market,
shutting up shop for good and overall revenues are still
far short of even the most bearish of estimates. But
none of this has stopped Pala Interactive, the start-up
owned by California tribe the Pala Band of Mission
Indians and headed up by egaming veteran Jim Ryan,
from pushing ahead with its plans for the market.
The online operator launched PalaCasino.com in New
Jersey in November and hopes to launch its online poker
site in early 2015. Interestingly, Ryan says that making
a profit is not even one of its three initial objectives in
New Jersey. California-based Pala has built its platform
in-house and the former bwin.party co-CEO says it is
vital for the firm to enter the fray to become regulated,
test and develop its platform, and build out its US
management team. This is a long-term play in a market
that is showing little payback in the short term.
Part of the licensing process has seen the New Jersey
regulator take a thorough look at Ryan himself, and in
particular his time at Excapsa during the UltimateBet
cheating scandal. In awarding Pala its transactional
waiver, the regulator ruled that Ryan had no knowledge
of the situation at the time, and Ryan says the regulator’s
ruling draws “a line under the matter”. It’s ju 7B