Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Newest Member is Veteran Jurist George Assad

Posted on: January 31, 2023, 07:04h. 

Last updated on: January 31, 2023, 04:45h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has a new member: George Assad, a former Las Vegas Municipal Court judge, local prosecutor, and private practice attorney.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, pictured above. He recently made three appointments to panels that oversee gaming in the state. (Image: Twitter)

Assad, 71, replaces member Philip Katsaros, who didn’t seek reappointment. The powerful three-member panel now has no vacancies.

Gov. Joe Lombardo, himself a former Clark County sheriff before winning the governor’s race, announced the appointment on Monday. Assad’s term lasts for four years.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is a critical state agency, and I’m confident that George will honorably execute the mission of the board,” Lombardo said in a statement. “George is an experienced regulator and judge, and I look forward to his service.”

Assad was once a commissioner for the Nevada Transportation Authority. That body regulates taxis, buses, limousines, and movers. Earlier in his career, he was a prosecutor in the Clark County district attorney’s office. He was a judge between 2002 and 2011.

Assad is a graduate of Emerson College in Massachusetts. He also graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. Before law school, Assad was a dealer and pit supervisor for casinos, the Nevada Independent reported.

In 2011, Assad’s son, Anthony Carleo, was sentenced to three to 11 years in prison for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He swiped $1.5 million worth of casino chips from the Bellagio, the Independent reported. He was called the “Bellagio Bandit.”

NGCB Chair Appointment

Earlier this month, Lombardo appointed Kirk Hendrick as the NGCB chair. Hendrick is an attorney and was formerly in charge of the gaming division of the Nevada Attorney General’s office. He was also the chief legal officer and executive vice president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

He replaces the interim chair, Brittnie Watkins, who remains on the NGCB. She became interim chair after former chair J. Brin Gibson stepped down from the post.

The NGCB regulates the commercial gaming sector in the state and was heavily involved in overseeing casino operations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the gradual reopening of the state’s gaming venues.

Overall, it protects the stability of the gaming sector via investigations, licensing, and enforcement of state laws and regulations. The NGCB also collects gaming taxes and fees. The board additionally implements state policy and laws and makes recommendations to the five-member Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC).

NGC Appointment

Lombardo recently appointed Brian Krolicki to the NGC. He’s a former state treasurer and lieutenant governor in Nevada. He takes the place of Ben Kieckhefer on the five-member commission. Kieckhefer is now Lombardo’s chief of staff at the governor’s office.

The NGC is Nevada’s final authority on approving, restricting, suspending, or revoking gaming licenses.