Nevada regulators want casinos to immediately report patrons who are named in the state’s Black Book of excluded persons, but have stopped short of formally requiring properties to detain excluded people if discovered on their premises.
The Gaming Control Board on Tuesday held a workshop to discuss amendments and clarify what it wants from Black Book regulation enforcement. It recommended approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The Board recommendation eliminates the need to send out a physical list of excluded persons and will only require it be done electronically, said Senior Deputy Attorney General Mike Somps. The list is currently on the Board’s website and regulators will provide information for properties to download.
Currently, regulations require properties to ask a person to leave if they are deemed to be in the Black Book and immediately to notify the Board and law enforcement. The proposed change only requires the property to notify the Board rather both the Board and law enforcement.
Ryan Sullivan, a senior agent with the Board, said casinos are required to immediately notify the Board when there is a case of cheating, but that doesn’t always happen when it comes to Black Book violators. Properties may send out an email or call the following day rather than act at that moment.
“We want to know as soon as possible to take immediate action to respond to the property,” Sullivan said, adding it’s a gross misdemeanor.
If properties wait to call, it may take days or weeks to investigate before a violator can be tracked down and a warrant issued for their arrest.
“It is nice to be notified immediately because if we can go out and get a probable cause warrant, we have better success than doing investigation and trying to track down and submit affidavits down the road and getting an arrest warrant,” Sullivan said. “We get calls for minors on property 24 hours a day, and I don’t know why this would be any different for having someone on the excluded list so we can take appropriate action and send someone right then and there.”
“For 2025, that’s very appropriate and I support it,” said Board Chair Mike Dreitzer.
Board member George Assad asked why properties aren’t required to detain those in the Black Book.
The Board’s Enforcement Division Chief Kristi Torgerson said properties are allowed to detain the person, and that is helpful. The problem with requiring them to be detained is the security may be overzealous and not properly trained, and inadvertently detain someone who isn’t on the list.
“We want an identification so there is no false detention,” Torgerson said, who encouraged properties to follow their protocols. If that means detaining the person, that is welcomed.
“That is the goal, but we have to be careful because in the past if we order something they get ahead of themselves and may not identify them properly and do false detentions because they are so excited to do it. They do detain if they identify. That’s the industry practice. They are on the lookout for these individuals, and we appreciate the support.”
Chandler Pohl, legal counsel for MGM Resorts International, sought clarification over whether the expectation was that the people be detained, or merely that the property notify the Board immediately.
Torgerson said asking them to leave the property and preventing them from entering is the expectation, but it’s important that the person be properly identified before they are detained. She reiterated there are concerns with the training issues of some security departments.