NGCB Establishes 111 Cases of Non-Compliance in Nevada

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has established 111 cases in which gaming license holders did not comply with the mandated health and safety measures.

NGCB Finds 111 Cases of Non-compliance with Health Protocols

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has launched a probe into 111 instances of alleged casinos non-compliance with health and safety policies. The checks come after the board’s enforcement division carried out 7,461 inspections to determine whether operators have enacted the agreed-upon safety measures, part of the reopening process which began on June 4.

Should the regulator establish irregularities, disciplinary actions may be needed, the NGCB informed in a press release on Tuesday. Commenting on these developments, Nevada Resort Association CEO Virginia Valentine argued that many casinos have met and in fact exceeded the recommendations of local health authorities, the gaming regulator, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Valentine argued that enforcing all recommended measures was crucial to regulating the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and, in fact, deterring it. She further noted that if a regulator had suggestions as to how to improve the situation, those were considered seriously and carried out promptly.

Some 2,500 venues have licenses to operate in Nevada, with each venue undergoing three inspections on average since June 4 so far. Only 1.5% of the total have required additional measures from the NGCB.

The Percentage Is Still Too High

Global Market Advisors Brendan Bussmann gave a comment for the Las Vegas Review Journal, saying that the percentage wasn’t a great aberration considering the number of properties to have already gone through vetting.

He further reminded that the exact nature of the violations was also unclear. Of course, Bussmann argued, that wasn’t to say that the omissions in health codes were something to downplay and that the safety of patrons and staff should be taken very seriously.

However, Experience Strategy Associates, a Las Vegas firm, CEO Greg Chase argued that any percentage that isn’t zero was already too high and carried an unnecessary risk to the well-being of people.

Health should be top-most of all priorities right now and the community as a whole should focus on upholding these new standards, and do the right thing in the “interest of public health and safety,” and not “short-term revenue wins,” he said in an email exchange cited by the LVRJ.

Will Companies Face Disciplinary Action?

According to The Strategy Organization Josh Swissman, the present developments have indicated the Control Board’s preparedness, seriousness, and commitment to upholding health and safety measures, citing the latest directives that mandate that everyone wears a mask inside a casino and ban drinking, smoking, and eating on the premises of a gaming operator.

Swissman also explained that non-compliance could easily undermine the business model of any company that wasn’t following regulations strictly because no sooner the consumer base and employees began losing trust, did businesses see a drop in revenue.

Meanwhile, the NGCB continues to work with various partners to enforce safety regulations across Nevada and specifically at gaming venues. Disciplinary actions may be next, although the NGCB hasn’t specified what these are exactly.

They could range, however, from temporary suspension of licenses to some penalty fees for non-compliant venues.