The Nevada Gaming Control Board is moving forward with a proposed overhaul of technical requirements for gaming equipment and systems, with the revised standards expected to take effect on October 1, 2027. The changes are intended to consolidate requirements currently spread across multiple regulatory documents and industry notices.
The initiative has been a priority under Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer, who assumed the position last year. Dreitzer, whose background includes work with gaming supplier Gaming Arts and testing laboratory BMM, identified the “lack of regulatory consistency” as a major concern for product approvals and innovation in an interview with iGB in January.
The proposed framework would reduce the number of sources that gaming companies must consult to determine whether their equipment and systems comply with Nevada’s requirements. At present, technical guidance is distributed across the state’s Minimum Internal Control Standards (MICs), regulatory policies, industry notices, and other documents accumulated over several years.
“Bringing everything into one source, I think, is just a huge advancement here,” Jeremy Eberwein, chief of the board’s technology division, said during an interview with iGB at the Global Gaming Expo.
“Instead of having to go to five different places to determine whether or not your product will work in Nevada, now there are two: there’s regulation and technical standards, and that’s it.”
The board held its first hearing on the proposed revisions last week, when Eberwein presented 10 standards covering gaming equipment and systems, including slot machines, race and sportsbooks, bingo and other gaming products.
Standards 3, 5 and 6 contain revisions to existing requirements, while Standards 7 through 13 have been drafted as new documents. The proposed changes are designed to establish a consolidated technical reference for licensees and regulators.
The initiative follows several years of intermittent work on updating Nevada’s technical requirements. Eberwein, who previously spent nearly a decade with the board before departing in 2023, returned to the regulatory agency after Dreitzer became chairman last year.
Industry engagement has formed part of the revision process, with the board incorporating changes requested by licensees following the publication of the initial drafts earlier this year. Although no licensees submitted comments during Wednesday’s hearing, Daron Dorsey, president of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, attended to acknowledge the regulator’s consultation efforts.
Daron Dorsey, president of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers
“I just wanted to be here to let you guys know that this agency is reaching out to the industry on a week-by-week, month-by-month basis and we appreciate that, and wherever we find ways that we can collaborate and make things better and modernise Nevada, we’re all for it,” Dorsey said.
Responding to the industry representative, Dreitzer emphasized the need for regulatory flexibility and adaptability “without giving an inch in terms of security,” while maintaining Nevada’s standing as the leading gaming state in the United States.
“We very much view this as a partnership with the goal of being safer, being quicker and more responsive,” Dreitzer said.
Following Wednesday’s consideration of the revised drafts, the board decided to publish the updated documents again for public comment, setting a November 15 deadline for submissions.
The proposed October 1, 2027, implementation date remains unchanged.
Eberwein said the revisions are intended to address recurring technical questions that have emerged over the past decade and reduce the need for licensees to interpret requirements scattered across multiple sources.
“The goal of these standards was primarily to take technical requirements from the MICs and consolidate them with policies, industry notices and clarifications from the past 15 years into a more concise source,” Eberwein said during his presentation.