Nevada governor taps industry veteran Dreitzer as next gaming board chairman
Current chairman Kirk Hendrick, appointed to a four-year term in 2023, announced his intention to resign in January. Hendrick said at the time he would stay through the end of Nevada’s legislative session, which ends on 2 June. His last day, per the governor’s office, will be 22 June.
Mike Dreitzer will take the reins afterward as the most public-facing regulator in the state. Nevada is unique in that it has two regulatory bodies, the NGCB and the Nevada Gaming Commission. The part-time commission has jurisdiction over the full-time board, but the board chair leads most of the day-to-day legwork.
Dreitzer will now finish out Hendrick’s term through January 2027, at which point he could be reappointed to serve a full term.
“As he prepares to step down, I’m exceptionally grateful to Chairman Hendrick for his partnership and service to our state,” Lombardo said in a statement. “Under his leadership, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has eliminated bureaucratic hurdles and made tremendous progress in gaming modernisation and innovation in Nevada.”
Dreitzer, who most recently served as CEO of slot supplier Gaming Arts, said he looks forward “to furthering the essential mission of the board, while supporting its agents and staff to ensure the highest quality gaming regulation for our state”.
Many regulatory challenges ahead
Lombardo’s praise of Hendrick perhaps best describes his term with the NGCB. Hendrick was immediately tasked by the governor, as all state agencies were, with conducting an internal review to eliminate outdated or duplicative regulations.
Through a multi-month process, the board under Hendrick was able to eliminate 16 state regulations. He also held several workshops on the topic of cashless payments and was a driving force behind the 2024 approval of a regulatory amendment that allowed patrons to use wagering accounts for non-gaming purchases at licensed properties, a big step forward for the sector.
As for Dreitzer, the industry veteran will oversee Nevada gaming at a pivotal time. For multiple years, the Las Vegas casino industry has been swept up in a wide-ranging scandal involving money laundering and illegal bookmaking.
Under Hendrick, the NGCB administered fines of $10.5 million and $8.5 million to Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) and MGM Resorts, respectively, for their roles in the scandal. The NGC approved the RWLV fine in March and will consider the MGM fine at its meeting on 24 April. Scott Sibella, a former executive with ties to both entities, also had his gaming licence revoked during Hendrick’s tenure.
The scandal was unearthed and prosecuted by federal authorities, which has reflected poorly on state regulators. An employment discrimination lawsuit filed by a staff member last September also indicates a level of internal strife. Slow processes and conservative approvals had also caused much frustration from operators and suppliers, although Hendrick had worked to change that.
Turnover at the top
In addition to facing negative scrutiny, the NGCB has seen a high amount of turnover for several years.
Dreitzer will become the fifth chair since January 2019, when Sandra Douglass Morgan took over from Becky Harris. Morgan was replaced in November 2020 by Brin Gibson, who then stepped down in November 2022. Brittnie Watkins briefly served as interim chair before Hendrick, who now hands the baton to Dreitzer.
The latter has experience across both commercial gaming and state government. Prior to Gaming Arts, Dreitzer also held executive roles at Ainsworth, BMM Testlabs and others. Before all of that, he worked as a deputy attorney general for the state from 1996 to 1999. Dreitzer will now look to draw from both of those experiences in policing Nevada gaming, which is coming off four consecutive record-setting years of performance post-Covid.
“Handing over the gavel to Chairman Mike Dreitzer will be a smooth transition,” Hendrick said in a statement. “Mike and I have known each other for almost 30 years going back to our days in the attorney general’s office. Mike is the perfect choice by Governor Lombardo based on Mike’s long career in gaming law, government, regulatory compliance and business.”