The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno has agreed to pay a fine of $250,000 to the Nevada Gaming Commission, following an incident wherein a Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) agent was denied prompt access to a theater during a routine check on December 19, 2023. The NGCB agent faced a brief delay when resort security personnel questioned the agent’s firearm and required it to be relinquished before he was granted entry into the Grand Theatre. The protocol was corrected after six minutes when supervisors intervened, assuring that the agent could keep the armament while performing the inspection duties, as reported by Casino.org.
While accessing various areas of the property, NGCB agents are expected to have unobstructed access. Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Somps stressed that any section of the casino, from “curb to curb,” is subject to review by state gaming agents, who have the mandate to inspect for illegal activities and ensure compliance with Nevada’s gaming laws. This was highlighted in an incident where, despite displaying proper credentials, an agent experienced a delay, which the agent claimed was longer than reported and indicative of an oversight in the resort’s security training and procedures. This incident also shed light on a similar one from 2021 that resulted in a violation letter, according to details shared by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
All licensed facilities under the NGC’s umbrella are subject to such routine scrutiny, and their response to NGCB agents speaks volumes about their commitment to maintaining the integrity of the gaming industry in Nevada. “Licensees have a long history of complying and granting Board agents immediate access to all portions of the premises,” Michael Somps explained, as noted by Casino.org. The evident breach by Grand Sierra Resort in this regard has been taken seriously, reaffirming the expectation that any Board agent presenting credentials must be granted immediate access to the premises without undue hindrance.
This $250,000 fine comes days after Grand Sierra’s philanthropic effort, with the resort donating $15,000 each to two local schools within the Washoe County School District. However, the Meruelo Group, the controlling entity of the Grand Sierra Resort, did not contest the fine in settling the complaint, taking responsibility for the lapse in their process that led to the denial of the NGCB agent’s immediate access—a serious violation of NGCB’s established protocols. While the fine reflects a commitment to upholding the law, it also somewhat balances out another monetary development in the state’s gaming realm, where Nevada Restaurant Services Inc. was recently awarded a $3 million tax refund, as per the same Casino.org article.
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