The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) on Wednesday (September 6) granted preliminary approval to eliminate more than a dozen regulations that officials deemed obsolete early this year, in an effort to comply with a directive issued by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.
In January, Lombardo tasked all state agencies to review existing regulations and recommend at least ten for removal by May 1.
The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) signed off on the NGCB’s recommendations to eliminate 16 regulations, which were submitted to the governor’s office in late April.
The NGC will make a formal ruling to remove the rules on September 21. After the recommendations were initially submitted to the governor’s office, under state law, both the control board and gaming commission were required to hold follow-up meetings to officially repeal the regulations.
Lombardo signed an executive order on June 30 that lifted the freeze on the regulatory process, allowing the control board and commission to move forward on removing the outdated regulations.
Among the regulations that received final recommendation was Regulation 23.040 that will allow licensees to utilize the casino cage in lieu of a cardroom bank without written approval, as well as amending Regulation 26.060 to update the correct tax percent of 3 percent that licensees pay on the total commission deducted on all pari-mutuel wagers.
Regulation 5.225, subsection 19, governing wagering accounts was also approved for deletion. The deletion of the regulation will change the requirement that licensees submit their wagering account rules for approval prior to implementation.
The control board also decided to repeal Regulation 3.100 regarding employee reports, and to amend three other regulations by removing the definition of “key employee” given the decision to repeal the entire regulation.
The NGCB also approved the removal of Regulation 5.200, subsection 3a, requiring the operation of a gaming salon on the property of a resort hotel to notify the NGCB by telephone or email each time the salon is opened or closed for play.
NGCB audit division chief Thomasina Fremont supported the regulation’s removal, telling the control board that there are adequate controls in place to monitor gaming salons. She added that the regulation “kind of ties their hands and it is not really necessary.”
Currently, 11 of the 65 private salons in Nevada are operating. Nevada licensees must still keep all internal records for random inspections and board audits.
On Wednesday, the control board also granted preliminary approval for three private gaming salons at Red Rock Resorts’ new Durango Casino, as well as one salon at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson.
The NGCB also granted preliminary licensing approval for Red Rock’s $780m Durango Casino that is scheduled to open on November 20. The five-member gaming commission will make a final decision later this month.
“Durango is the next development in our growth story,” said Red Rock president Scott Kreeger.
Kreeger told the control board the company owns seven vacant land parcels throughout southern Nevada that are targeted for future development over the next decade.
“We believe the projects we build are complementary to the entire community that we develop in,” Kreeger said.
Kreeger said all of the sites are in high growth areas within southern Nevada.
“This roadmap will allow us to grow the company a full 100 percent in the next ten years,” he said.
Currently, Red Rock operates six casinos in southern Nevada. Durango Casino will be the company’s seventh property.
In addition, the NGCB unanimously recommended approval of the gaming licenses for Kreeger, as well as senior vice presidents Jeffrey Welch and Stephen Cootey as key employees for multiple resorts.
Roulette Cheat Nominated For Black Book
The control board on Wednesday also nominated Shaun Joseph Benward to be added to the state’s List of Excluded Persons, also known as the “black book.”
Benward has been convicted of cheating at roulette in several states and kicked out of 17 Nevada casinos.
Michael Somps, senior deputy attorney general, said the NGCB issued an intelligence bulletin in June warning that Benward had been operating his roulette scam in Lake Tahoe casinos.
Benward was notified of Wednesday’s hearing but did not attend. Somps said he would be notified of the NGCB’s decision and will be able to ask for a hearing, but the gaming commission is expected to take up Benward’s nomination on September 21.
Somps said Benward would usually take a position away from the roulette wheel, then attempt to place a bet late in the game and convince the dealers they had placed his chips on the wrong number. According to control board agents, he would have an accomplice who would support his story.
Somps did not identify Benward’s accomplice. Benward has already been placed on exclusion lists in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware and Missouri, as well as being convicted or arrested by authorities in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Nevada.
Somps confirmed that Benward had no convictions in Nevada, but convictions were not needed for inclusion on the list.
“Certainly, the enforcement division has had a lot of contact with this gentleman, and law enforcement in general has extensive contact with this gentleman,” said Kirk Hendrick, chairman of the control board.
“In my opinion, he becomes an excellent candidate for somebody who should not be involved or allowed to enter in Nevada’s gaming establishments that have anything beyond slot machines only.”