Resort security guard hiring problem solved by regulatory action

Nevada casino regulators made it easier for resorts to hire armed security guards when it made regulatory changes in November.

Now. a state official who enforces gaming laws says the regulatory fix has accomplished that.

Newly hired guards previously had to wait up to six months to be able to carry a weapon on the job, due to a federal policy change in May 2024. The change approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission last November shortens the waiting period, as applicants can begin working as soon as they can prove they applied for a concealed-carry permit.

“The industry feedback has been positive since the implementation of the amended regulation,” Kristi Torgerson, chief of the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Enforcement Division, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an email on Tuesday.

Resort companies have stated that the regulatory changes “made significant improvements in filling armed security guard positions,” Torgerson wrote.

She noted that the Control Board doesn’t monitor the hiring of security guards but that the feedback indicates a one-time roadblock has been lifted.

Early last year, Torgerson learned that the Control Board could no longer use the computerized Criminal Justice Information System for employee background checks, a procedure that had been in place for years.

Torgerson huddled with Nevada Resort Association President and CEO Virginia Valentine, the Nevada attorney general’s office and theMetropolitan Police Department to find a solution.

The answer: enable applicants for casino security guard positions to obtain temporary registration for licensing, following a background check by the local sheriff’s department instead of the Control Board.

In Las Vegas, that means going to Metro.

Torgerson told the Review-Journal that, according to resort companies, the change has had a “positive and timely impact to alleviate staffing challenges.”

“I think you know that many resort security members do come with backgrounds from law enforcement, but then many do not and so this process of registration is critically important for our armed security guards, public safety and tourism safety for our team members and our guests is still of paramount importance to us,” resort association President and CEO Virginia Valentine, whose organization represents most resorts in Southern and Northern Nevada, said after the Nov. 21 commission vote that changed the procedure.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.