Burnett promoted to chairman of Gaming Control Board

Gaming Control Board member A.G. Burnett was promoted to chairman of the panel Wednesday by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Burnett has been a member of the three-person regulatory body since January 2011. He was the deputy chief of the control board's corporate securities division when Sandoval appointed him to the board.

Burnett, 43, also served as a senior deputy attorney general in the gaming division.

"A.G.'s experience on the Gaming Control Board combined with his strong working relationships with gaming regulators and securities regulators in countries such as Macau and Singapore will be an invaluable asset as the board moves into the next generation of gaming," Sandoval said.

On Monday, Sandoval appointed Terry Johnson, the current director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, as a member of the board, replacing outgoing chairman Mark Lipparelli, who stepped down in September.

Lipparelli, whose term expired at the end of December, said he wanted to give the new chairman time on the panel before the Legislative session convenes in February.

Burnett will take over as chairman for next week's scheduled meeting in Las Vegas. "I'm honored and humbled to have been chosen by the governor," he said. "I'm hoping to carry on the traditions that make this the best regulatory body in the world."

Burnett said he has had dealings with the Legislature, "but never as a chairman."

Burnett and board member Shawn Reid are in the middle of their four-year terms. Johnson was appointed to fill the remaining time on Lipparelli's term and it's expected the governor will appoint him to a full four-year term in January.

The Gaming Control Board is the state's enforcement and investigative agency for the casino industry. The panel makes recommendations on matters to the Nevada Gaming Commission.

The three members are full-time state employees. Control board members earn $135,741 annually. The chairman earns $145,986.

Before joining the Attorney General's Office, Burnett was an associate in a Reno law firm. He has a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and a bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.