Audit cites gaming board for loose handling of money

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 5:50 p.m.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Gaming Control Board does a good job in collecting taxes and fees but there’s some loose handling of the money when it reaches Carson City, a legislative audit says.

The audit said the board’s Tax and License Division collected $829 million or 99 percent of the taxes and fees due in fiscal year 2010.

Legislative Auditor Paul Townsend said tests were made of 80 payments by casinos totaling $44.1 million in taxes and “found the board’s controls provide reasonable assurance that gaming taxes and fees are collected and processed accordingly.”

But the audit said “Improvements can be made to the safeguarding of investigation payments received at the board’s Carson City office.”

The board receives thousands of dollars regularly and “these payments are stored in an unlocked filing drawer in the office’s reception.” Although office is secure from the general public, employees have access to this drawer.

“Not securely storing checks increases the risk that they could become lost or stolen,” said the audit.

The audit also said the board had one bank account that had not been used since 2007 but that $40,000 was sitting idle. It recommended the account be closed and the money transferred to an active bank account.