Skill Gaming Manufacturer GameCo Denied License in Nevada
GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes was denied a license by the Nevada Gaming Commission this week. The ruling is a devastating result for the company that manufactures skill gaming machines. The GameCo CEO is being forced out of the Nevada gaming industry. State regulators ruled this week that he is no longer suitable to be involved in the casino business.
Graboyes was deemed unsuitable for licensure in Nevada by the five-member agency. The commission went against a recommendation from the Nevada Gaming Control Board that Graboyes be issued a new gaming license. Graboyes was issued a two-year limited gaming license in 2019. The license is set to expire this month. The state’s highest gaming authority determined that Graboyes’ past, specifically his business dealings with the now-defunct Beyond Gaming, leaves more questions than answers regarding his suitability.
GameCo is focused on ushering in younger players to casinos. The company’s products combine elements of skill that can increase a gambler’s potential win payout if played strategically. All-Star Hoops, a video gambling machine that allows players to “shoot for loot,” can be found at MGM Grand and Park MGM.
Las Vegas casinos in recent years have toyed with skill-based gaming machines in an effort to draw in millennials. However, they largely haven’t taken hold. Caesars Entertainment Senior VP of Global Gaming Operations Melissa Price said in 2017 that placing skill machines on the company’s casino floors “was a big learning experience.” The games were removed after a few months of operation.
Commissioner Steven Cohen said his takeaway was that Graboyes has a history of self-interest. Commissioner Ogonna Brown shared a similar sentiment.
"It doesn’t feel right, and I can’t reconcile it,” Brown said. “I have trouble with the veracity of the statements he has made today. I don’t feel like he has been truthful. I believe denial is an appropriate step.”
The Nevada Gaming Commission voted 4-1 to reject Graboyes’ license. The lone dissenter was Commissioner Deborah Fuetsch. She instead favored allowing Graboyes to have more time to defend his past. The Nevada Gaming Commission’s ruling means Graboyes cannot have any direct involvement with any gaming business. He must also divest his ownership in GameCo.
