
One regulator on the three-member Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) announced this week she is leaving the body.
Brittnie Watkins (pictured) told the Wednesday meeting it would be her last as part of the Nevada gaming regulator. She will be officially leaving the role on January 26, when her current term expires.
She was entitled to seek reappointment but chose not to, she said at the meeting. However, inside sources told local media that Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo had privately told her he wouldn’t back her reappointment if she did apply.
Watkins was the last appointment of former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak remaining on the board, having joined in 2021. Board Chair Kirk Hendrick and third member Judge George Assad were both appointed in 2023 by Governor Lombardo.
“The opportunity to see the gaming industry from this perspective has been absolutely priceless,” Watkins said when announcing her plans in the meeting, which, as usual, was also livestreamed on YouTube.
“I leave the board entirely fulfilled by the challenges, fulfilled by the rewards and the learning.”
Watkin’s Tenure
Watkins, a lawyer by trade, was appointed in 2021. She has two bachelor’s degrees and two masters, earning several prestigious awards and accolades during her studies. Professionally, prior to joining the NGCB, she worked in senior positions at the Supreme Court of Nevada and the State Bar of Nevada.
She has presided over a booming Nevada gambling business during the last four years. That included being part-time chair after Brin Gibson’s 2022 resignation.
During her tenure, Watkins played a key part in Nevada’s strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which ended months of consecutive record revenues for Nevada’s operators.
She also dealt with many regulatory aspects of bringing the Super Bowl and the Las Vegas Grand Prix to Nevada, in regards to how those massive events worked with the state’s gambling businesses.
Chairman Hendrick also praised Watkins’ behind the scenes work on streamlining the Control Board’s internal processes, and helping the transition into a new way of doing things after he and Assad were appointed.
Controversy and Moving Forward
However, not everything was perfect during Watkins’ tenure. The Control Board was heavily criticized for not stepping in faster before 2023’s wide-ranging federal investigation into illegal California bookmakers and their links to Las Vegas casinos.
Specifically, the regulator cleared former Resorts World President Scott Sibella of any wrongdoing in early 2023 – only for him to end up prosecuted in federal court for breaching money laundering regulations.
The NGCB later entered its own legal filings against Sibella, which resulted in the suspension of his gambling license in the Silver State. It also brought belated filings against Resorts World Las Vegas, a case still ongoing.
During her tenure, Watkins was the subject of a discrimination lawsuit. A former administrative department head working under the Control Board filed a 2024 lawsuit against the board, and specifically Watkins.
It alleged discriminatory hiring practices and a hostile work environment, in part because of Watkins. No word on what the departure of Watkins will mean for the lawsuit.
Lombardo will soon appoint a new member to the control board. In line with custom, it is expected the new member will be either ex-law enforcement or of a financial background, such as an accountant or a banker. Watkins, Assad, and Hendrick are all from a legal background.

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