Sports book rules being overhauled

CARSON CITY -- A state regulation tightening down on sports and horse race wagering, including prohibiting messenger betting, is moving towards final approval by the state Gaming Commission.

It's been a long duel between the industry and the state Gaming Control Board. Compromises have been reached during the past few months.

Robert Faiss, Las Vegas attorney representing the Nevada Resort Association, told the Gaming Commission Thursday the proposed regulation "is ready for adoption."

The commission plans another public hearing in Las Vegas Tuesday and will then hold a special telephone conference call Nov. 2 to approve the regulation.

Greg Gale, chief of the Gaming Board's audit division, told reporters there was a "significant concern" that wagers were being made for people in other states. Federal law prohibits telephone bets across state lines.

The regulation prohibits cellular telephones from being used inside books to stop any calls from outside coming in to a messenger to place a bet. Gaming regulators say messengers are paid by those outside Nevada to place bets for them.

Books would be prohibited from accepting telephone wagers from outside Nevada. After March 1 next year, a book may only "accept wagering communications if it can demonstrate to the (board) chairman's satisfaction that the wagering communications originate from within the state of Nevada."

It also beefs up the regulation to ensure those who bet more than $10,000 are identified. Those who want to establish credit accounts for betting must appear in person and present identification to show they are from Nevada.

Gaming Board Chairman Steve DuCharme said there's information from wiretaps in New York that some big bettors accumulate chips or unpaid winning betting slips. At present when they make wagers using these items, the identification of the bettor is not revealed, though the wager may be over $10,000.

Jeff Siri of the Cal Neva Club in Reno said the proposed regulation should be relaxed on unpaid winning betting slips. He said the rule would hurt casinos in that players would not re-bet the winnings on new games or races.

But DuCharme said a main purpose of the regulation is to get the names of these big bettors and determine if they are from out of state.

The regulation would also stop the practice of some casinos that allowed special bets on horse races for some of their best players without posting the line to the public. And rebates to high rollers in horse race betting would be prohibited.

The board retreated on one proposal that the industry objected to involving wagering limits. The original recommendation called for the casino to document every time it changes the upper limits on bets.

Gale said the board had "backed down on that onerous requirement." Instead the board chairman is given the power to decide if this requirement should be imposed on a case-by-case basis and not industry wide.

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