Nevada Casinos Say Armed Security Recruitment is Slow, Regulator Considers Workaround

As anyone who has been to Las Vegas or is a regular reader of our pages can tell you – Sin City, for all its attractions, can be a dangerous place.

Just recently, a North Carolina pastor was arrested with a large collection of guns and drugs at the Strat. A guest at the Fontainebleau fired a homemade flamethrower at casino workers. A suspect was shot by police on the Red Rock Casino gaming floor after a double stabbing. 

All of these incidents occurred in Las Vegas in just the past month, and all required armed response from casino security guards. 

Recently, several operators of major Las Vegas casino resorts have told regulators they’re having a tough time recruiting armed security because of a federal law change. 

Under Nevada law, security guards armed with concealed carry firearms must undergo criminal background checks. The new rules have led to long delays in the system, casino resort representatives told regulators. 

In October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) is set to debate a workaround that could get things back up to speed in the recruitment process.

The Law Change 

Earlier in 2024, a federal law quietly changed after an audit of Federal Bureau of Investigation procedures. The new rules barred officials from external agencies from using state Criminal Justice Information terminals. 

For years, the Nevada Gaming Control Board used the terminals to run background checks on applicants for armed security roles. 

“We were notified by the Nevada Department of Public Safety that Nevada criminal justice information terminals, NCJIS terminals, are not to be used for purposes beyond their intended scope, which includes non-criminal justice employment,” the Gaming Control Board Enforcement division head Kristi Torgerson told the board at a May 2024 meeting.

This meant that the NGCB has since been going the federal route to apply for background checks for armed casino security guards. That’s a process that can take up to six months. The regulator is now looking at a workaround on the issue that could speed up the vetting. 

The Workaround 

Nevada regulators’ new idea is to go through the local sheriff’s department when a casino operator needs a concealed carry license for a prospective employee. 

The Sheriff’s Department, being a criminal law enforcement office, is still allowed to use the NCJIS terminals. The Control Board reckons it is within the law for them to temporarily certify a license after a background check conducted through local law enforcement. It then awaits the results of a full check through the feds.

It believes this could dramatically cut processing time, alleviating the current recruitment strain concerning casino operators. Operators including Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, South Point Casinos, and Station Casinos told regulators they backed the changes.

“This allows the resorts to maintain staffing levels for new hires and renewing registrations,” said Nevada Resorts Association President and CEO Virginia Valentine.

“The security of our team members and guests is of paramount importance. We had a recent example where an armed security guard made a big difference at a resort.”