Consolidation
The Nevada Gaming Control Board is moving ahead with a plan to fold its technical requirements for gaming equipment and systems into one set of standards, due to take effect on October 1, 2027.
Requirements now sit across Minimum Internal Control Standards, regulatory policies, industry notices and interpretations built up over 15 years. Operators work through five sources to establish whether a product complies with state rules. After the overhaul, two remain: the regulation and the technical standards. 'Instead of having to go to five different places, now there will be two: the regulation and the technical standards, and that's it,' said Jeremy Eberwein, who heads the NGCB's technology division, in an interview with iGB at the Global Gaming Expo.
Hearings and reaction
The project is a priority for NGCB chairman Mike Dreitzer, who took the post last year. Dreitzer, who previously worked with supplier Gaming Arts and the lab BMM, has called the lack of regulatory consistency the main obstacle to product approvals and innovation. Eberwein said the standards will settle technical questions that have come up over the past ten years and spare licensees from interpreting scattered requirements.
First hearings on ten standards were held last week, covering slots, sportsbook and sports products, bingo and other equipment. Standards 3, 5 and 6 update existing requirements, while 7 through 13 are new documents. The NGCB will publish updated versions for public comment, with submissions due November 15.
Daron Dorsey, president of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, thanked the regulator for staying in contact with the industry. Dreitzer said the aim is to keep flexibility 'without giving up safety' and Nevada's lead among US gaming states.
