Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has appointed Las Vegas-based attorney Kirk Hendrick as the new chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), with the four-year term beginning at the end of this month.
The 58-year-old legal veteran has experience with Nevada government as well as sports-related litigation, having spent time at the attorney general’s gaming division as well as a long stint as chief legal officer for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Having joined the gaming division in 1996, he was eventually named senior deputy for the Las Vegas region in 1998 and chief deputy for the state the following year. He also assumed the role of chief legal counsel for the Nevada Athletic Commission in 1998.
After returning to private practice in 2001, Hendrick then joined Zuffa, UFC’s parent company, in 2002, where he stayed until the company was sold in 2016. He was working as an independent consultant before the recent appointment from Governor Lombardo.
Hendrick will supersede Brittnie Watkins, who had been serving as interim chair since late November, when former chairman Brin Gibson stepped down to pursue other opportunities. Watkins has two years remaining in her current term.
In addition to Hendrick, Lombardo will have another appointment to make at month’s end, as the other current board member, Philip Katsaros, has already indicated that he will not seek reappointment when his term expires at that time.
There is also a spot left to fill at the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), after Lombardo appointed former commissioner Ben Kieckhefer to be his chief of staff.
In a statement released December 11, Lombardo said, “I’m delighted to announce that I’ve selected Kirk Hendrick as a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and designated him as the board’s next chair. With his sharp business acumen, outstanding legal background, and passion for Nevada gaming, I know that Kirk will excel in this critical leadership role.”
Hendrick will now be responsible for shepherding the statewide agency that is responsible for regulatory oversight. Per state law, the NGCB works to make recommendations on licensing and other gaming matters to the NGC.
