The Nevada Gaming Control Board will maintain its position on Internet gaming until federal policy changes to regulate the activity, according to the board chairman.
Dennis Neilander told Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee members on Tuesday that without that guidance, the board will be unable to include Internet gambling in its regulations.
The committee met on Tuesday to discuss SB83, which was presented by the control board, and aims to revise certain sections of the state's gaming regulatory statutes. None of the amendments addresses Internet gambling, however.
Mr. Neilander's comments came during a routine question-and-answer session at the end of the hearing, Marc Warren, the board's senior research specialist, told IGamingNews Wednesday.
Mr. Warren said Senator Terry Care, a Democrat from Clark County, and committee chair, asked Mr. Neilander for an update on where the board stood with Internet gaming.
"[Mr. Neilander] gave him the rundown and said, 'We received a letter from the D.O.J. in 2002 advising us that they believe it's illegal under the Wire Act, and unless the courts or Congress provide clarity, we're doing nothing,' " Mr. Warren said.
In 2001, the board looked at regulating online gambling, but ultimately abandoned its plans after the United States Department of Justice informed them it was illegal, Mr. Neilander told IGamingNews in 2008.
"We haven't changed our position, and our position is we can't do anything," Mr. Warren said.
Emily Swoboda is the senior staff writer at IGamingNews. She lives in St. Louis, Mo.