The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) are working to change state regulations that allow trespassers and excluded players to collect winnings from casino operators. The proposed changes would change the definition of a patron and require casinos post signs saying that cheaters and excluded players are not eligible to collect winnings (though they would still be on the hook for any incurred losses).
This week’s meeting was actually a workshop where regulators hashed out proposals for moving forward on the issue. Regulators focused mainly on the nuts and bolts of how to keep excluded players from collecting winnings (even if they were incurred legally). Much of the discussion centered around regulations requiring casinos to clearly post the policy so that excluded players know what they’re getting into.
NGCB chair Kirk Hendrick scoffed at the proposed regulations regarding signage as a burden on casino operators. “I doubt that trespassers take the time to stop and read the signs before they sneak into a property so I don’t know if it’s necessary,” he said in comments reported on by iGamingBusiness.com.
Other Board members were skeptical about provisions allowing casino operators to keep excluded players’ winnings, without requiring them to refund losses – even if the winnings were legitimate. “We need to be sure Nevada is looked at as fair to both sides – fair to the licensee, fair to the patron,” Hendrick said. “Even in the situation that they’re a trespasser, we can’t tip the scale to say ‘we’ll let you be a loser but we won’t let you be a winner’,” Hendrick added.
While the NGCB’s workshop didn’t result in any direct actions, Board members indicate that it will come up again, in a more formal manner, at a future meeting.