Some called him the “Father of Gaming Law.” He was the man responsible for crafting gaming regulations in Nevada that eventually drove organized crime out of the state’s casino industry and ushered in an era of growth and stability. Bob Faiss responded to then Governor Grant Sawyer who was elected to clean up the state’s casino industry, paving the road from racket to respectability.
While his accomplishments are too long to list, they include opening up the industry to corporations, spreading internationally the gaming gospel by Nevada-based gaming corporations, the approval of private gaming salons in Nevada, the introduction of online and mobile gaming in the state and much more. But before he was a lawyer, he was a journalist. He became the youngest city editor for the Las Vegas Sun at the time in the early 1960s, and eventually worked for the Lyndon Johnson administration in Washington D.C. After serving as an aide to Sawyer for two terms, he attended law school in Washington D.C., with the promise that he could practice law in Sawyer’s firm.
But nothing had prepared him for the battle with the mob.
Though Nevada gaming had been infiltrated for years by organized crime, efforts were made in the 1950s and ’60s to eliminate any influences of the undesirables. Progress was limited, until Faiss (backed by his mentor, Sawyer) began to re-shape Nevada gaming regulations.
“You have to remember that after the legalization of gaming in 1931, the state played no role in gaming,” he told Global Gaming Business in 2009. “It wasn’t until 1945 that there was a state tax and the Gaming Control Board was not even set up until 10 years after that. So people had been in business for a long time and had been doing things the way they thought best, and suddenly this system started to be foisted upon them. So there was resistance.”
The Gaming Control Act passed by Sawyer gave the board and the Gaming Commission great discretion. Both the courts and public opinion supported this approach. Further tweaks to the system allowed gaming to operate successfully as long as the integrity of the operation and the games was assured. Faiss, who was a longtime partner in Lionel Sawyer & Collins, was involved with many of the regulations and guidelines, so he’s very protective of his clients as they enter the Nevada regulatory system.
“This practice was founded by Grant Sawyer,” he says. “He selected attorneys the same way he appointed regulators. He wanted us to understand that we were not only representing our clients but we are also officers of the system.”
Tributes poured in upon learning of his death.
“Nevada is a much better place because of the Faiss family,” said U.S. Senator Harry Reid. “I’m terribly saddened at the loss of my friend Bob. He has accomplished much for our community, and his commitment to a better Nevada has always been at the forefront of his endeavors.”
Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, said that Faiss meant a lot to his company and to the state.
“Nevada and the global casino resort industry have lost a leading light in the passing of Bob Faiss,” said Murren. “Bob’s professionalism, intellect, and respect for the rule of law led to the creation of the fundamental regulations that helped to create a stable and well-regulated industry here in Nevada, as well as in jurisdictions across the country and around the world.
“Here in Nevada, his contributions to his native state, its economy and its people cannot possibly be overstated. I will remember Bob as someone who displayed the most extraordinary sense of humility of virtually anyone I’ve known in this or any industry. For a man who literally wrote the book on gaming law, he always made those around him feel as if they were the most important people in the room. I will forever be in his debt for the wisdom, guidance and insights he provided to me and the entire MGM family.”
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, a former head of the state gaming commission, released a statement.
“Bob will be remembered not only for his impact on the gaming industry but for his indelible and generational contributions statewide,” Sandoval said. “A legend in Carson City and throughout the state, Bob enjoyed universal respect and admiration. Most of all, Bob was a true gentleman who loved his family and state. Nevada has lost one of its true giants today.”
During his life, Faiss was recognized by the National Law Journal as the premier gaming attorney in the United States and one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.
Faiss was one of the founders of the International Masters of Gaming Law, as well as being a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors. He was the author of Gaming Regulation and Gaming Law in Nevada, released in 2009. He also developed a course on gaming law that he taught at UNLV’s Boyd Law School.
But like so many others, Faiss’ legacy rests primarily with his family. He is survived by his wife, Linda; sons Michael Faiss, Mitch Faiss, Philip Faiss and Justin Cooper Chamber; daughter Marcy Cooper-Ayers; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Linda Faiss, accomplished in her own right as the founder of one of Nevada’s most important public relations firms, Faiss Foley Warren, said her husband of 23 years reveled in accomplishments of others he helped along the way, particularly young lawyers who entered the firm.
“Bob celebrated their successes, just like he celebrated the successes of his clients,” she said. “Bob never talked about himself. He always tried to give credit to others. He never needed the glory. He loved his clients and loved the state. He was a remarkable man.”
Faiss sat down with Global Gaming Business Publsher Roger Gros in 2009 to discuss his illustrious career in his typically humble fashion.
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