Burnett said the controversy with AG Adam Laxalt had nothing to do with his resignation.
A.G. Burnett announced on Monday he would resign his post as Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Burnett, who has been one of the faces of Nevada gaming since he became Director of the NGCB in 2011 (and Chairman the next year), is leaving for a job in the private sector.
During his time as the head of Nevada’s most powerful casino regulator, A.G. Burnett brought a number of changes to the state’s gaming industry. Burnett recounted his accomplishments in a phone interview this week with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
In the interview, Burnett counted of the issues he provided leadership in the past few years. He listed, “Internet gambling. Nightclub regulations. Daily fantasy sports. We checked all of them off. When I was reappointed, I made another list. Skill-based gaming. Hybrids. Marijuana use…and we checked all those off.”
Position with McDonald Carano Law Firm
Burnett said his decision to leave the Nevada Gaming Control Board was both family-related and financial. He has taken a position with a Reno law firm, McDonald Carano, where he’ll work the gaming and administrative law section. By taking the job, Burnett said he can take the financial pressure off his wife, who has a career as a teacher. A.G. Burnett received a degree in international affairs and political science from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1992. He received a law degree from Gonzaga in 1996.
As a general rule in most US states, the role of the Gaming Control Board tends to be more behind-the-scenes, while the Gaming Commission in a state receives more press. In the case of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, A.G. Burnett has dominated the scene in his time on the job.
Helped Legalize Online Poker
It has been a time of change, as Las Vegas and Reno adjusted to new economic conditions in the wake of the Global Recession. Reaction to the economic downturn led Nevada to adopt a number of pro-casino measures, beginning with the embrace of online poker in 2013. Nevada became the first US state to legalize online gambling, a move which Delaware and New Jersey made later the same year.
After online poker was legalized, A.G. Burnett was one of several officials who convinced Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval to sign an interstate gaming compact with Delaware. Earlier this year, the State of New Jersey signed on to the poker compact. With Pennsylvania legalizing online poker and New Jersey in talks with the UK on a poker liquidity sharing agreement, the interstate poker compact might grow into a counterpart of the multi-state lottery associations: Powerball and Mega Millions.
Skill-Based Slot Machine Policy
To attract play from millennial gamblers, Burnett was instrumental in drawing up a bill to legalie skill-based gambling machines in 2015. Gaming machine designers continue to develop those skill-based EGMs, which continue to trickle out onto the gaming floors in Nevada and New Jersey. Gamblit, GameCo, and Konami have proven to be leaders in the arena, but they would not have had the opportunity, without AG Burnett.
The move came at a time that slot machine revenues began to decline. Slot machines traditionally account for 70% of casino’s gaming revenues, so it was a key area of concern for executives, lawmakers, and officials. Given its pivotal role in the Las Vegas casino economy, Burnett considers the skill-based gaming law to be his key legacy: “This is the most important regulation I’ve worked on in 17 years. This is a turning point that could reinvigorate the slot machine floor.”
2015 also was the year that A.G. Burnett took on the daily fantasy sports industry, eventually forcing DraftKings, FanDuel, and their competitors to leave the Nevada gaming market. One might think Burnett’s actions against DFS companies was a reaction to the October 2017 Ethan Haskell scandal which changed the face of DFS gaming in America, but Burnett pushed those companies out of the market in September 2015 — anticipating the events which would follow later in the year.
Confrontation with Adam Laxalt
A.G. Burnett had his moments of controversy. Earlier this year, he recorded a phone conversation with controversial Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. In the conversation, Laxalt — from a political dynasty that spans politics in Nevada and New Mexico — called for the Nevada regulators to file a “friend of the court” brief in a civil lawsuit against the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. As the richest casino company in the world, Las Vegas Sands has tremendous influence in Nevada.
Gov. Sandoval Praises Burnett
The retiring gaming regulator said the incident with Adam Laxalt did not play a role in his decision to resign, though it inevitably was whispered to have played a role. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, who himself has had his confrontations with AG Adam Laxalt over gambling policy, praised A.G. Burnett for his tenure as Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman.
In his parting words, Gov. Sandoval said, “A.G. was a fair and thoughtful regulator who impressively balanced the roles of top gaming watchdog with ensuring that our state’s leading industry maintained flexibility to innovate and achieve forward progress. I know that he will look back on his career in public service with pride.”
