After last week’s G2E-packed schedule, I’m glad to have a little time to post the Center for Gaming Research’s latest Occasional Paper:
Paper 11: October 2011
Robert D. Faiss and Gregory R. Gemignani. “Nevada Gaming Licensing: Qualifications, Standards, and Procedures.”ABSTRACT: The process of acquiring a Nevada gaming license is long and consists of several procedures. Although the process is time-consuming, it is far from Byzantine or obscure; each step, as defined by statute and precedent, flows logically from the one before. This paper provides an overview of licensing process in Nevada, with additional information on the reasoning behind several of the procedures involved.
Keywords: Nevada, gaming, regulation, casino, licensing
View the paper here (pdf)
I asked Mr. Faiss for provide me with this paper because of the many questions I’ve gotten about licensing in Nevada. I thought it would be a great chance to get valuable information about how the process works into the public sphere.
If nothing else, reading this 15-page paper will give you an appreciation for everything that goes into getting a Nevada gaming license.
Here’s an excerpt that will give you a taste of what to expect if you want to own a Nevada casino:
Those who have never been the target of a government investigation—and even those who have—are often surprised at the scope and depth of a Nevada gaming license investigation. As a former White House presidential assistant, the author can attest that the Nevada gaming license investigation is far more extensive and intrusive than the highest U.S. security clearance investigation.
Applicants are asked to explain and sometimes justify personal behavior and business transactions dating back several years. Some refer to the investigation as the most trying experience of their lives. When they file an initial application, they have only one assurance: if they have any transgressions in their pasts, Nevada’s gaming agents will most likely dig them up.
Exhaustively detailed and solidly researched, this is as good a primer on the licensing process as you’re likely to ever get without retaining your own counsel to explain it to you.