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Nevada board nominates alleged bookmaker Wayne Nicks for stateexcluded-person list
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Summary
The Nevada Gaming Control Board voted Dec. 3 to nominate Wayne Joseph Nicks for placement on the state's list of excluded persons, citing federal guilty pleas for operating an unlawful gambling business and filing false tax returns, related California bookmaking violations and documented ties to illicit proceeds used in Las Vegas casinos.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board voted Dec. 3 to nominate Wayne Joseph Nicks for inclusion on Nevada—s list of excluded persons, a move that would bar him from licensed gaming establishments in the state pending consideration by the Nevada Gaming Commission. The board's nomination was based on documentary evidence of federal convictions, state law violations and public records linking Nicks to an alleged illegal bookmaking operation.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Mike Somps told the board that Nicks pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to operate an unlawful gambling business and to subscribing to false tax returns. Somps said the plea files and court minutes show Nicks admitted running an illegal bookmaking business out of California and failing to report approximately $1.5 million of taxable income for 2017 and 2018. "He operated an illegal bookmaking business out of California taking wagers on the outcome of sporting events," Somps said, and that Nicks used illicit proceeds to gamble in Las Vegas and to pay off casino markers.
Somps cited four separate statutory bases under NRS 463.151(3) to justify the nomination: the federal felony convictions; the tax‑related crime deemed to involve moral turpitude; a California penal‑code bookmaking violation admitted in court (Cal. Penal Code §337(a)); and a "notorious or unsavory reputation" documented in Department of Justice materials and non‑prosecution agreements involving Las Vegas properties. Exhibits provided to the board included the federal plea agreement, the minutes of the guilty plea hearing, DOJ press materials and non‑prosecution agreements involving the Cosmopolitan and MGM Grand that describe related investigations.
Board members said the record was sufficient to support a nomination. Chairman Dreiser stated he considered the convictions and the documentary record dispositive and expressed support for the nomination. Member Sandahl and Judge Assad likewise supported moving the matter to the commission for an evidentiary proceeding. The board approved the nomination by unanimous voice vote.
If the commission receives the nomination, Nicks will be notified and will have the opportunity to request an evidentiary hearing before the Nevada Gaming Commission. The board noted that nomination to the excluded‑persons list is an administrative step that can be followed by a commission hearing that affords the subject procedural rights.
The nomination follows federal prosecutions and civil‑sector agreements revealed during multi‑jurisdictional investigations into alleged bookmaker activity and casino compliance with anti‑money‑laundering and internal controls. The board said the nomination is intended to protect public confidence that Nevada gaming remains free of criminal influence.
