What’s the difference between the Control Board, Gaming Commission?

States from around the nation and countries from around the world study Nevada’s gaming regulatory model because it’s been in place for nearly 70 years.

But what’s the difference between the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission and who does what to oversee the state’s leading industry?

Nevada has a two-tiered regulatory structure that licenses and regulates gambling as well as collects taxes on the amounts won by casinos and fees on devices used for gambling.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is the agency that oversees gambling. It has an investigations division that reviews prospective licensees, an enforcement division of sworn law enforcement officers that investigates cheating and illegal activity, a tax and license division that monitors the hundreds of licensees, an audit division that makes sure licensees pay their share of taxes and device fees and a technology division that oversees slot machines and other gaming devices including the approval of new games.

The agency is overseen by the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board, which meets monthly to review and deliberate on the truthfulness and integrity of prospective licensees.

While Gaming Control Board members oversee the agency and are considered full-time employees, the final decisions on licensing are made by the five-member Nevada Gaming Commission, which also meets monthly, roughly two weeks after the Control Board makes its licensing recommendations. Commissioners are considered part time.

In disciplinary actions, Control Board members serve the role of a prosecutor while commissioners become judge and jury.

For example, Control Board members gather information to present to the commission on license violations and on nominations to the List of Excluded Persons — people with criminal records who are forbidden from entering casinos. The commission then deliberates on what the prosecution presents.

The governor appoints members of both the Control Board and the commission to staggered four-year terms. Commissioners and Control Board members must be U.S. citizens, Nevada residents within six months of appointment and cannot hold elective office.

According to the law establishing both boards, one of the three board members must be a certified public accountant or licensed for public accounting with five years of experience. One board member must have training and experience in the fields of investigation, law enforcement, law or gaming.

The board’s chairman must have at least five years of administrative experience in public or business administration or possess broad management skills.

For the commission, the legislative intent is for the most qualified persons available to be appointed “preferably no two of whom shall be of the same profession or major field of industry,” according to statute. But for many years, the commission has had multiple attorneys on the same board.

The law also says the commission should have no more than three members from the same political affiliation.

According to the statute, commissioners are paid $40,000 a year with the commission chair receiving $55,000 annually.

Control Board members receive an annual salary “in the amount specified by the Legislature.” Currently, the board chair receives $190,000 a year and other board members $177,000 annually.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.