Nevada Gaming Commission

Gambling began in Nevada long before it became a territory, very much a part of life in a mining town. The discovery of the Comstock Lode saw gambling grow in proportion to the wealth extracted from what then seemed an inexhaustible supply.The territorial bill of 1861 declared gambling a felony, and succeeding Legislatures enacted laws prohibiting gambling. The Legislature of 1969 overrode the Governor's veto of a bill to legalized gambling. Between 1877 and 1907 there were regulations that addressed the major problems in gambling: location, population ratio relative to license fees, hours of operation, and cheating. At the same time there was a growing awareness of gambling as another source of revenue for the State.

In 1909 the anti-gambling bloc scored a victory, and the State witnessed what was considered the demise of gambling on September 30, 1910. Even with police enforcement, there were problems over the interpretation of the statutes as to when a game was a licit past time, and when it was a felony.

In 1931 the State saw the beginning of the modern era of legalized gambling. There was a growing awareness of the significance of the revenues that gambling earned for the State and county coffers. In 1945 gambling was placed under the Nevada Tax Commission. In 1955 the Nevada State Tax Commission was granted sweeping powers to administer the provisions of the act, and the State Gaming Control Board was created as its enforcement and investigative unit.

The Nevada Gaming Control Act, passed on March 30, 1959, removed the Tax Commission from its role in gaming, and in its place established the Nevada Gaming Commission, making the State Gaming Control Board its audit, investigative, and administrative arm. The Gaming Policy Board was established to give the Governor more voice in matters of gaming control. In 1993 the Nevada Racing Commission was eliminated, and its responsibilities transferred to the Gaming Commission, becoming thereby the ultimate authority in all gambling matters.