Nevada Loses Regulator, Online Poker AdvocateMark Lipparelli To Step Down This Fall From Chairman Position At GCB |
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Mark Lipparelli, the chairman of Nevada’s three-member Gaming Control Board, will step down from his position at the end of the month, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.
Lipparelli has been at the helm of Nevada’s move toward the nation’s first intrastate online poker industry. Nevada officials adopted Internet poker regulations in December 2011, after years of wrestling with the idea of gambling in cyberspace.
The 47-year-old was an executive at Nevada-based companies Shuffle Master Inc. and Bally Technologies prior to becoming a state employee. He was paid about $130,000 per year as chairman of one of Nevada’s two regulatory bodies overseeing the state’s most lucrative industry. Lipparelli was appointed by the governor in early 2009.
According to the Review-Journal, he isn’t allowed to work for a gaming company in the state for one year. He told the paper that it was a “personal decision.” His term expired in December.
The American Gaming Association, a coalition of many of Nevada’s casino interests that lobbies hard on Capitol Hill, Tweeted about the news:
Lipparelli has been a strong, steady leader as NV gaming has experienced great change. We’ve enjoyed working with him and wish him the best.
— American Gaming Assn (@AGAupdate) September 18, 2012
Lipparelli has not only been a vocal advocate for online poker in Nevada. Last fall, he testified during a House hearing on the possibility of a future nationwide online gaming market.
Lipparelli did not immediately return a request for further comment on his decision.
Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus
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