Proposed gaming regulation removals approved, sent to Lombardo

The Nevada Gaming Commission let the Gaming Control Board do the heavy lifting.

The panel took less than 30 minutes to approve 16 gaming regulation subsections designated for elimination as the agency complied with a January directive issued by Gov. Joe Lombardo tasking all state agencies with reviewing regulations and recommending at least 10 for removal by May 1.

The part-time, five-person gaming commission also approved another eight regulation subsections identified for language changes.

Jose Torres, the agency’s senior research specialist, and deputy attorney general Tiffany Breinig worked with the control board’s division chiefs to identify the suggested regulation eliminations or changes. The list was approved and ranked in priority order by the control board during a public workshop in April.

“This has been a very collaborative effort with all board staff,” Torres told the gaming commission last week. “(In) coming up with the precise language and the explanations, there are certain requirements within the executive orders, such as economic impact.”

Torres said the final draft of the proposed changes contained a general assessment of whether the changes would have a negative or positive economic impact on the state, the industry and the control board.

Gaming Commission member Ogonna Brown commended the control board staff for the “very thoughtful, deliberate and insightful” effort to come up with the proposed changes.

“I have a lot of confidence in accepting the recommendations in terms of the priority specifically for the regulations that were selected to be presented to the governor for consideration,” Brown said before the unanimous commission vote.

This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent on April 26 and is republished here with permission.