Nevada Governor-elect Steve Sisolak will have two appointments to make to the state’s Gaming Control Board, immediately allowing him to put a stamp on the regulatory body.
Terms for two of the three seats expire immediately after Sisolak is sworn in January.
Sisolak, a Democrat, defeated Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt in the Nevada gubernatorial election Tuesday.
Sisolak is expected to retain Control Board Chairwoman Becky Harris, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval in January to fill out the last year of the term vacated by A.G. Burnett. Harris is the first woman to serve as the top gaming regulator in Nevada.
Harris, an attorney, was a former state senator when Sandoval appointed her to the post.
In an interview with CDC Gaming Reports in June, Sandoval suggested the next governor reappoint Harris.
“She’s a rock star, and she has taken on some extraordinary tough issues right out of the chute,” Sandoval said. Soon after she was appointed, Wynn Resorts founder and CEO Steve Wynn was accused of sexual assault and harassment by former employees in a lengthy Wall Street Journal article. Wynn resigned his position a week later.
Sandoval, a Republican, did not endorse fellow Republican Laxalt in the governor’s race, in a sense helping Sisolak.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Sandoval congratulated Sisolak and said “my door and the doors to my staff are open tp Governor-elect Sisolak and his transition team.”
The other open seat on the GCB belongs to Shawn Reid, who was appointed to the Control Board in 2011 by Sandoval. A career Gaming Control Board employee since 1990, Reid told associates he wouldn’t seek another term.
The third member of the board, Terry Johnson, has two years remaining on his term.
The appointments come as the Control Board prepares to tackle several issues, including the 2019 Legislative session and potential changes in state gaming regulations.
Sisolak, 64, is currently chairman of the Clark County Commission. He is also a former member of the University of Nevada Board of Regents and a long-time Democratic Party activist.
Laxalt, 40, is completing his first term as Nevada Attorney General. He’s the grandson of the late former Nevada governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt.
Both Sisolak and Laxalt were heavily supported by the gaming industry in the election.
Through November, Sisolak’s largest support came from affiliates of MGM Resorts International, which donated a combined $175,000. He was also funded by affiliates of Station Casinos, which donated $90,000, and Las Vegas Sands Corp., which together with its companies donated $75,000.
As for Laxalt, his largest contributor was Station Casinos, which included members of Fertitta family – majority owners of the company – who combined for more than $208,000 in financial donations. Las Vegas Sands and its affiliates donated $75,000 to the Laxalt campaign, and MGM Resorts contributed $35,000.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
