Mike Dreitzer
In 2025, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo appointed Mike Dreitzer as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. It was one of those rare instances when a gaming executive, not a political appointee, was chosen to lead the important agency. Dreitzer takes the lead at an opportune time for the industry, as unlicensed, unregulated betting sites like sweepstakes casinos and prediction markets attempt to penetrate Nevada. He’s brought plenty of fire to bear on these illegal sites while also recognizing that the state has fallen behind in the introduction of new technology.
Dreitzer spoke with GGB Editor-at-Large Roger Gros in December at the NGCB office in Las Vegas. To hear and view a full GGB Podcast of this interview, visit GGBMagazine.com.
GGB: We’ve seen many regulators cross over from the regulation side to the operations/supplier side. Rarely do we see an official go in the other direction. Were you surprised to get a call from Governor Lombardo?
Dreitzer: Obviously, I’ve had a long career in the industry—about 25 years. I started as an attorney for the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Gaming Commission. So I had roots here. I always thought that if I had an opportunity to serve, particularly in this capacity as chairman, I’d be very interested. So when I connected with Governor Lombardo and he offered me the role, it was the honor of my career. I was very humble and proud to accept his offer.
You’ve been licensed in all the major gaming jurisdictions in the world. What did you learn as an applicant and in hearings that will help you do your job?
When I started this job, the phrase that came up most often was “drink from a fire hose.” There’s so much to learn, so much information. A big part of the job is to have matters appear before the board and, ultimately, the commission to decide in terms of licensing. I certainly am familiar with this process, to say the least.
We just celebrated our 70th anniversary as a board in Nevada. We’re the standard for gaming regulation in the country and the world. Having been on the other side of the table offers a unique and important perspective in terms of how to regulate those who come before us. I embrace that. We regulate with consistency and humility, with the idea that we want to treat all applicants who come before us fairly.
It’s been a rough couple of years for the board with AML problems at the big Strip casinos. Is it completely corrected now?
Money laundering in casinos continues to be an issue, and we’re doing everything we can to work with the industry to make sure that we do better and better in that space. It’s not something that’s going to disappear tomorrow, but we’re making great strides. Certainly, we’ve had regulatory fines—and fines make headlines. But perhaps more important are the things licensees do in conjunction with fines to overhaul AML compliance within their organizations.
How diligent are you when confronted with companies trying to operate illegal online gaming in Nevada?
Obviously that’s a big issue, and not unlike the AML issue, it keeps coming. We have a fantastic enforcement group here that does a great job of stamping out illegal gambling, but we’re resource-constrained. We’re constantly trying to grow. We were fortunate enough in the last legislative session to add a number of agents, which will help.
The other thing we can do is work smarter, utilizing tools that are now available like AI. We have industry partners who are very interested in providing analytics tools that we’re considering using. It’s at the top of the agenda. Illegal gaming is not to be tolerated, and we will continue to pursue it vigorously.
When sweepstakes casinos were operating in Nevada, the board sent cease-and-desist orders and they complied. The prediction companies aren’t complying. What’s next? Will we be able to ban them as well?
Let me be clear. The activity that happens in the prediction markets to support contracts is gambling. There’s no question about it, and we’ve said as much with respect to companies in the prediction markets.
We would invite them to be part of the Nevada gaming industry, but that has requirements. We have a 70-year history of very strong, fair regulation. From our perspective, if companies want to participate in betting along the lines of what they’re doing, then we would welcome them. If they don’t want to do that, obviously we take the position that it’s illegal gambling, and we will pursue a course of action that prevents them from doing so without a proper license.
Why should Nevada be on the cutting edge of gaming technology?
Frankly, we’ve fallen a little bit behind in that. We want new technology to come to Nevada. We want approvals at the speed of business. We want to do it faster and be more transparent. So any chance I can, I’m going to make that pitch to bring technology to the state.
