Changes to gaming rules get green light
Licensing, payouts, drug use addressed
Casino licensees would get clarity on responding to customers who appear to be impaired by drugs, and out-of-state sports bettors would have an easier time getting their winnings, under changes to gaming regulations that have been proposed to the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The State Gaming Control Board on Wednesday unanimously recommended approval of proposed amendments to four regulations.
The commission will consider the amendments at its April 19 meeting.
No one objected to the proposed changes in a public hearing Wednesday in Las Vegas and Carson City.
A proposed amendment to Regulation 5 on the operation of gaming establishments would clarify that licensees can be disciplined if they’re caught allowing a drug-impaired patron to gamble or serving intoxicating beverages to drug-impaired individuals.
The amendment would modify a section of the regulation that addresses allowing patrons intoxicated
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byalcoholtoplayorbeserved. Licensee would be prohibited from serving drinks to persons “who are visibly impaired by alcohol or any other drug” or letting them participate in gaming activity.
The proposal was spurred in part by the state’s legalization of recreational marijuana and addresses both legal and illegal drugs.
Industry representatives had no objections to the new language.
Broader definition of ‘payouts’
Separate amendments to Regulation 22 governing the operation of race books and sports pools would broaden the definition of “payouts” to include cash, chips or credit toward a new bet and allow passports to be used as a form of identification to pay winners.
An addition on the payment of winning wagers would allow a book to accept a photocopy of a driver’s license or passport in lieu of the actual documents when a winning ticket is sent by mail. Books would be required to maintain the documentation for five years.
Another amendment would expand a book’s responsibility to report suspicious betting activity by requiring operators to report “suspicious transactions,” not just wagers. The new wording says books should note bets placed by coaches and athletes
involved in all sports competitions, not just collegiate events.
Horses and applications
Other proposed amendments address procedures for licensing applications and horse racing.
An amendment to Regulation 4 would give the commission new flexibility in taking actions on applications. Commission approval of an action is currently required “within six months.” Under the new wording, the commission would be required to act on its regular meeting date by the sixth month after an application or recommendation.
Under the existing wording, the commission occasionally would be required to conduct special meetings to act on a potential licensee’s request to meet the six-month standard, particularly on requests to extend the deadline on a pending matter.
Proposed amendments to Regulation 30 on horse racing would alphabetize a list of five nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that may be allowed in a horse’s system, as long as there’s only one and it’s within test-level limits set by the Association of Racing Commissioners.
The proposal also would enable the uncoupling of horse race entries for wagering by owners or trainers of two or more horses in a single race with the permission of the state steward.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702477-3893.