Looser Nevada gaming salon regulations officially adopted as state grapples with tourism dip

Concerns not enough to prevent approval

Given that salon changes potentially create more anti-money laundering stressors while addressing tourism challenges, commissioners took a cautious approach and gave lengthy discussion to the matter before approval. Some, like Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey and Chair Jennifer Tagliotti, sought clarity on guest classifications.

The requirements differentiate between main patrons and their guests. The rules are more stringent for the patrons, but guests may also wager, which caused some confusion for commission members.

One concession the industry received was lengthening the time a guest may stay in a salon without the main patron to 24 hours. But commissioners questioned why this was necessary and worried about nefarious practices while debating exact language.

“A lot can happen in 24 hours,” Tagliotti cautioned. “The girlfriend leaves and comes back and she’s no longer the girlfriend. Or there’s certain financial arrangements between them that violate Nevada law, or other things.”

Commissioner BDG Game, for his part, questioned whether operators were distorting the true purpose of salons. He noted that they are intended only for gaming, “not a VIP concierge lounge”. And despite approving the changes, Markantonis also made sure to address the AML elephant in the room.

“With all of the AML problems that we’ve encountered over the last six months … there’s obviously been difficulty for the casinos to control their customers and their hosts on top of it,” he lamented. While not mentioned directly, both Wynn and MGM were among those fined this year.

Operators granted concessions but future use uncertain

The requests from operators, and their responses to regulators’ questions, essentially amounted to a simple mantra: we can make use of this resource, if you trust us. These companies have already operated Nevada gaming salons, despite their existing limitations, for years. Lower thresholds allow for more patrons to be accommodated and therefore tracked and rated in casino systems.

Along with Valentine, Wynn Las Vegas casino chief Charlie Stone was a constant figure in salon discourse. MGM’s legal counsel, Chandler Pohl, and Hard Rock Las Vegas President Joe Lupo also appeared previously, but did not last week.

Stone explained many times that salon play is more closely scrutinised than any other play, with a higher ratio of employees to players. It is an “extension” of public high-limit areas, he said last week.

“The games that are in salons are the exact same games with the same rules, the same payouts and, as I mentioned, better surveillance coverage,” he told the commission.

Wynn did not respond to a request for comment, but said previously it would await a final ruling from the commission before making operational changes. MGM declined comment, deferring instead to the NRA. Hard Rock is still under construction and is not slated to open until late 2027.