Bible closes book on career

Bible says he may take a job as a consultant for the state of New Mexico. That state has legalized slot machines at racetracks and wants his help in setting up a gambling regulatory agency. And there is another job offer from an entity that Bible won't identify.

Bible also retains his position on the National Gaming Impact Study Commission, formed to examine legalized gambling across the United States.

"I have a lot of irons in the fire," he said. "I could do lobbying. I could consult on fiscal issues. I decided I just want to do something different while I was fairly young."

He also wants to pursue the activities he loves - hiking the Sierra Nevada, Red Rock Canyon and Southern Utah.

Before 60-hour to 70-hour work weeks with the control board, Bible also ran regularly, competing even in marathons.

For the last 10 years, Bible served as the no-nonsense chairman of GCB, the 450-employee state agency that licenses and investigates Nevada casinos.

He began his state career as a budget office staffer in 1971. He later worked as a fiscal analyst for the Legislature and for five years as state budget director under Gov. Richard Bryan.

In discussing the top achievement of his casino regulatory career, Bible says the big challenge was to keep up with the workload.

"There has been an explosion in the industry," he said. "We sat through the licensing of the Excalibur, Mirage, Luxor, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Stratosphere, Treasure Island, Main Street, Bellagio, all of them."

Bible was GCB chairman during a period in which there were few hints of high-level organized crime activity within the Nevada casino industry.

"In terms of organized crime, you can't be so naive to say it is not there," Bible said. "But it is on the periphery, more in street crime."

He also says he didn't play favorites at licensing hearings - a statement that's backed up by numerous industry representatives and observers.

"I put him at the very top," said casino industry consultant and former GCB investivations chief Ray Koon, who has attended virtually every GCB meeting since 1962.

"I haven't seen any reluctance on his part to take on the big guys," added Koon. "What he has done in his career is not so much protect the industry, but protect the state. He is that type of guy."

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