The Nevada Gaming Commission to Amend or Remove 24 Regulations

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Nevada Gaming Commission has unanimously identified two sets of gaming regulations that will be considered for modification or elimination in the near future. During Tuesday’s session, Commissioner Steven Cohen also bid farewell as he completed his four-year term on the Commission.

After being appointed to the Commission in 2019 by former Gov. Steve Sisolak, Steve Cohen, a founding partner of the law firm Cohen Johnson Parker Edwards, has reportedly announced his withdrawal from the position as his term expires at the end of this month. Despite the possibility of serving another four-year term, Cohen has declined and expressed that it’s time for someone new to take his place, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The responsibility of appointing a new member to the Nevada Gaming Control Board now falls on Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has already made the first appointment in January by bringing former State Treasurer and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki to the five-person board. However, Cohen’s withdrawal necessitates another inclusion in the Board, which plays a crucial role in final decision-making actions related to licensing recommendations.

During Cohen’s final meeting as a commissioner, the Nevada Gaming Commission voted on whether two lists of gaming regulations, which were deemed outdated, should be modified or eliminated from the regulatory framework. This vote was in response to an executive order issued by Gov. Lombardo, which mandated a review of existing gaming regulations by all executive agencies, commissions, and boards in the state’s industry. The executive order also required that these outdated regulations be ranked and considered for updates or exclusions by May 1st.

As per the source, the Control Board Senior Research Specialist, Jose Torres, and Deputy Attorney General, Tiffany Breinig, have compiled a list of eight regulations that may require further modifications, and another list of 16 rules that could potentially be eliminated from the legislature. These regulations relate to various aspects of casino operations, accounting, security measures, pari-mutuel wagering, and card room money transactions.

However, the Las Vegas Review-Journal clarifies that these changes are unlikely to have a direct impact on consumers. Torres stated that the board and commission will utilize the list of regulations identified for potential modifications or exclusions to determine the best approach for implementing the changes.

In addition to the regulatory matters, the meeting also involved the approval of licenses for two established gaming executives in new roles. This included the appointment of Joe Asher, a prominent figure in the sports betting industry, as the President of PlaySports, an IGT sports wagering subsidiary. Furthermore, Julie Cameron-Doe, former CFO of Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, was approved as the Chief Financial Officer of Wynn Resorts Ltd.