Nevada's casino industry secures win with tax increase

The measure aims to improve Nevada’s bottom-tier school system by broadening the tax base, which has long been a goal of the Nevada Resort Association. Although the gaming industry will pay more taxes as a result, its advocates in Carson City say the industry is happy to do so along with virtually all other businesses in the state.

Virginia Valentine, the association’s president, went so far as to say that supporting the tax measure might be her group’s crowning achievement.

It’s good timing for the association, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and reflecting on how gambling has changed over five decades.

“On the heels of a pretty historic Legislature, it’s an opportunity to talk about what gaming does for the Nevada economy in terms of jobs and revenue generation, and the capital investment the industry continues to make,” Valentine said.

Since its founding in 1965, the resort association has become the key lobbying voice in the state capital for Nevada’s casinos and resorts. The association, whose members include all of the state’s largest casinos, keeps tabs on government actions that affect gaming and advocates on behalf of the industry. It’s also a member of the American Gaming Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that does similar work on a national level.

To reflect on the past 50 years, the resort association created a series of video interviews with key voices from the gaming industry. The interviews provide perspective on how gaming has changed since 1965 and how it may grow going forward.