Gaming Control Board to intensify mask mandate enforcement in casinos
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday said it would intensify enforcement of mask mandates with COVID-19 cases on the rise and thousands of visitors expected in the state for New Year’s Eve.
“As Nevada prepares for a substantial rise in visitation for the New Year’s holiday, the board will intensify its enforcement of Emergency Directive 045 at all licensed locations subject to the mask requirement to ensure the safety of Nevada’s residents and visitors,” reads a notice issued by the Control Board to the state’s more than 1,000 gaming licensees.
Emergency Directive 045, issued May 3 by Gov. Steve Sisolak, adopts all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health and safety leaders related to wearing masks.
The Control Board said the directive “requires each person, including fully vaccinated individuals, to wear a mask in public indoor settings in counties with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19.” Clark County is among those counties with high transmission of the virus.
“The board reminds its licensees, gaming employees and the general public that a licensee in violation of any federal, state or local law or regulation is a violation of Nevada Gaming Commission Regulation 5.011, and that the board may seek disciplinary action by the Nevada Gaming Commission for any such violation,” the notice says.
Control Board agents routinely make unannounced visits to casino licensees to check for potential regulatory violations.
In 2021, the Nevada Gaming Commission disciplined two licensees for failing to enforce mask mandates.
Commissioners in June ordered a $60,000 fine of the Mohegan Sun Casino Las Vegas, the entity operating the casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, for its failure to enforce mask mandates at its March opening.
In November, the commission fined The Timbers, a tavern in Carson City, $10,000, and ordered its owner, Bette Larsen, to surrender her gaming license for failure to enforce mandates. An incident in May was the second time tavern employees were found ignoring mask mandates.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.