Casino Connection Nevada

Nevada may reconsider cell phone ban

by Staff

The Nevada Gaming Commission is taking a new look at the prohibition on the use of two-way communication devices in the state’s sports books.

While the regulatory body has not indicated whether it will make any changes, it is holding workshops to gather comments on proposed revisions to the 10-year-old law.

Early remarks suggest that the casinos would love to be free of the annoyance of devoting the time of their security personnel to keeping people off their cell phones.

“During the course of a day, we must tell 75 to 100 guests that there’s no use of two-way communications devices in the sports book,” said Johnny Avello, director of the race and sports book at Wynn Las Vegas. “A good portion of the guests are not relaying information. They might be talking to their wife and kids.”

While the law announcing the ban on cell phones is clearly stated on numerous signs around sports books, most customers either don’t see them or don’t understand their rationale; obviously, many of them don’t abide. The local gamblers who frequent the sports books follow the rules, but many tourists apparently do not.