Two years into a four-year term as chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Kirk Hendrick said it was time to move on and give someone else a shot, albeit after the state legislative session ends in June.
The 60-year-old Hendrick was appointed to the post in January 2023 by Gov. Joe Lombardo and announced Wednesday he’s stepping down. He wanted to give the governor time to fill the post that pays $210,000-plus a year, plus not place an immediate burden on his replacement with the session starting. He said he could see himself serving through the July Board meeting, but that depends on Lombardo.
“I believe I accomplished what I wanted to do, which was change a mindset that regulation doesn’t have to be a roadblock and we can streamline the regulatory process. Those were the things I wanted to get out there and I’ll be saying those things publicly when it gets closer to my time to leave.”
The chair serves as the chief executive of the agency that enforces regulations on the gaming industry. The three-member Board meets monthly and makes recommendations on licensing and other gaming policy matters to the Nevada Gaming Commission.
“It’s never a good time to leave. There are constant new investigations, cases, and issues coming up and it puts added pressure on me to get a lot more done in a short amount of time. But I felt that after the legislative session was a good time.”
Hendrick, a Las Vegas native, was an attorney for more than 30 years. He once worked in the state Attorney General’s office, was an executive with the UFC, and had a consulting company. He said he wasn’t looking for a job when he was asked by Lombardo to serve.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to see if I could make a difference,” said Hendrick. “I care about the state and the gaming industry and that’s what enticed me to come out of semi-retirement to take this job on. It’s been the thrill of a lifetime.”
As for the Board’s accomplishment in his two years as chair, Hendrick believes he helped change the mindset of, “Can we get this done? And I don’t know if we can do that. Can the Board accomplish what the applicant wants to do and still be good for Nevada, safe for the industry, and fair to patrons?
“That’s what I wanted to accomplish. I’m not saying anything was done wrong (previously),” Hendrick said. “This is the 70th year of the Gaming Control Board and it’s a very well-oiled machine. I just wanted to come in, look under the hood, and see if there was a way to turbocharge the engine.”
When Gov. Lombardo entered office, he mandated all agencies to streamline and make regulations more efficient.
“I have that mindset. The thought process I wanted to hear was, ‘We’ve been doing this for 20 years and we should change this regulation.’ Or, ‘This regulation just doesn’t fit anymore in 2025. We should get rid of it.’ We took that torch and ran with it.”
He believes the Board has had more regulatory workshops with all three members present than any in history. Those meetings weren’t designed to add regulations, but to remove some and make more effective ones.
The gaming industry in Nevada and worldwide has faced challenges with properties skirting money-laundering regulations.
In December, Scott Sibella, the former president and COO of Resorts World Las Vegas, had his gaming license revoked after pleading guilty to federal charges of failing to report illegal gamblers playing at MGM Grand in 2018. Accused of not knowing the source of a customer’s funds and failing to file a suspicious activity report after allowing illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix to gamble, he was sentenced to probation and fined.
In August, the Gaming Control Board filed a disciplinary complaint against Resorts World, alleging it catered to illegal bookmakers with ties to organized crime involving millions of dollars in wagers.
In September, Wynn Resorts agreed to a $130 million settlement on federal criminal allegations that it conspired with unlicensed money-transmitting businesses worldwide to transfer funds to benefit itself. Wynn reached a “non-prosecution agreement” with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve the 10-year-old investigation. The Gaming Control Board has yet to take action against Wynn in light of the federal fine being levied.
Hendrick disputed suggestions that Nevada regulators have been too lenient and haven’t punished the industry enough.
“The Gaming Control Board is watching and will file actions when appropriate,” Hendrick said. “But this industry has to rely on some self-governance and self-reporting. It’s always been that way. We don’t have enough agents. Some states have enforcement agents on every property. These federal cases have alerted the industry that they can be criminally prosecuted for federal actions, which we don’t investigate. They’re required to follow all federal, state, and local laws and if they don’t that’s a regulatory violation. We’re not just investigating one licensee. We’re investigating all of them. That’s a Herculean task with a small enforcement group.”
In addition, Hendrick pointed to revoking Sibella’s license, the worst thing that can happen to a license holder. And Resorts World is “facing a very serious disciplinary complaint.”
Hendrick said there’s never a good time to leave. A lot of short- and long-term projects are pending, some of which are confidential that he can’t discuss.
While he hasn’t been asked to weigh in on a potential replacement, he’s certain he and the governor will have that conversation at some point.
“By making this public, more people are thinking about it months in advance, whereas a lot of these positions come up quickly and people don’t always hear about them. If you’re a lawyer, CPA, or involved in some other government agency and you’re interested in this position, sometimes it takes a long time to unwind that business to see if you can take over this role.”
Members of the Gaming Control Board can’t be involved in any gaming businesses or investments and they can no longer gamble. That creates a small pool of applicants who have to understand the gaming industry, but not be involved in it.
“That’s why I wanted to give the governor lots of time to find the right person to take over the leadership,” Hendrick said.
Hendrick wanted to stay during the 2025 legislative session, because he took over the job right before the 2023 session and he was immediately thrust into legislative hearings that required him to get up to speed on the budget.
The job also requires providing information and data to lawmakers as quickly as possible. He will travel between Las Vegas and Carson City during the session.
The Board is pushing two bills this session. Assembly Bill 58 deals with technology streamlining, while Senate Bill 46 concerns public policy and general gaming streamlining.
The most rewarding part of the Board chair position is the people he works with and their dedication and purpose. The state doesn’t pay what the industry or private practice pays, so Board employees have believe in what they do and feel that their work is meaningful, Hendrick said.
The most challenging side of the job is administrative. “You focus on the big picture and changes that make a difference, but of course you get bogged down on emails. “That takes you away from the important stuff. That’s the nature of the beast.”
The gaming industry in Nevada has thrived since coming out of the pandemic, but to Hendrick, the state of the industry is best answered by those running it. Still, he’s hearing good things.
“The optimism is through the roof. You can see they’re continuing to build on Las Vegas Boulevard and in northern Nevada. I see that from a regulatory standpoint when it comes to licensee approvals and new projects. Everyone is continuing to put money and time into Nevada and continuing to hire workers. That’s all great news to me.”
Hendrick doesn’t like to tout Nevada’s reputation as the regulatory gold standard; instead, he leaves it to others to assess.
“The Gaming Control Board has to continue to strive to be the best. The industry is moving so fast around the world. So we have to keep up as the industry reinvents itself and make sure we’re not causing that expansion of innovation to be slowed down in any way.”
Hendrick doesn’t know what he’ll do next. “I was playing really bad golf before I took this job and I guess I’ll go back to see if I get my score down,” he joked.
Hating the word retirement because he feels too young, Hendrick said after he left the UFC he didn’t want to do anything “for a little while” to keep his options open and “see what I wanted to do when I grew up.”
“The Board chair sounded like a full-time job, but I said if you feel you can make a difference, then get off the couch and get off the golf course and try to do something meaningful.”
