Regulators recommend licenses for five Nevada sportsbooks

The sports-betting industry continues to explode in Nevada and on Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended licenses for five sportsbooks under new partnerships or management.

Regulators are so familiar with the operators of the planned new facilities that they waived appearances of the operators without asking a single question.

If approved as recommended, the Nevada Gaming Commission could grant the licenses at its Nov. 19 meeting.

It’s rare that regulators would pass on an opportunity to question the background of a licensing applicant, but in the case of William Hill Nevada and Boomer’s Sports Book, the two operators have made multiple appearances before them in past months and Control Board members already know them well enough to be confident that they wouldn’t represent any reputational problems for the gaming industry.

Without discussion, board members voted unanimously to recommend licensing for William Hill at the Terrible’s Casino in Indian Springs; the Terrible’s Casino in Carlin; the Terrible’s Searchlight Casino in Searchlight; a Boomer’s Sports Book at the Nevada Nugget in Dayton; and a Boomer’s at the Delta Saloon in Virginia City.

The Terrible’s sportsbooks are the continuation of a strategic partnership between William Hill owner Caesars Entertainment Inc. and Las Vegas-based Terrible’s. Caesars and Terrible’s connected in July to keep the sportsbook at the Primm Valley Resort operating after a 17-day shutdown that was closely monitored by regulators.

Boomer’s has been in a similar situation.

Boomer’s owner Joe Asher has been a frequent applicant, most recently appearing for licensing of books at the Four Queens and Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas. Asher has said Boomer’s looks to have 20 branded books open across the state by the end of the year.

This year and last, William Hill added new or expanded locations in all corners of the state, including Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Hotel Nevada in Ely in eastern Nevada, The Verdi Grillhouse in western Nevada and Barton’s Club on the Idaho border at Jackpot.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at [email protected] or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.