On Feb. 12, 2026, the Nevada Gaming Control Board unanimously recommended licensing approval for two new members of the Resorts World Las Vegas board of directors — former Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Brian Sandoval and former Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett.

Both are Republicans. Both helped shape the state’s gaming regulatory framework. Both now seek to govern a casino that regulators fined $10.5 million in 2024 for anti-money laundering violations — the second-highest penalty in Nevada gaming history.

Sandoval left the governorship in 2019 and was hired directly by then-MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren as MGM’s president of global gaming development, according to public announcements. By November 2025, he had been elevated to chairman of the Resorts World board — replacing Murren, the same executive who recruited him to MGM six years earlier.

Burnett stepped down as Gaming Control Board chairman in December 2017 and joined law firm McDonald Carano on Jan. 1, 2018, where the firm’s own marketing materials described his regulatory background as an asset for gaming industry clients. His Chambers USA profile confirms he has since counseled Hard Rock International and advised the American Gaming Association.

According to iGaming Business, Burnett’s father and Sandoval’s older brother were business partners for years. Both men now sit on the same casino board formed in the wake of that casino’s record compliance failure. The pattern is not new, and it does not belong to one party.

In 2006, federal convictions from Operation G-Sting — an FBI investigation into the Clark County Commission — documented a bribery network that reached both sides of the aisle. Democrat Dario Herrera received 50 months in federal prison. Republican Mary Kincaid-Chauncey received 30 months. Democrat Erin Kenny pleaded guilty. Democrat Lance Malone, a former commissioner turned lobbyist who served as the conduit between cash and votes, received six years. The scheme involved a strip club owner paying sitting commissioners to influence zoning, licensing, and ordinance votes — trading public authority for private cash.

More than a decade later, Democratic state Sen. Kelvin Atkinson pleaded guilty in 2019 to misusing $249,900 in campaign funds and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. The year prior, Democratic Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow pleaded guilty to a similar federal wire fraud charge. Six months after his release, Barlow registered as a lobbyist at the same City Hall he had left in disgrace. The city does not prohibit convicted felons from registering as lobbyists.

Nevada law contributes to the pattern. According to MultiState, a legislative tracking firm, the state’s revolving door restrictions apply only to lobbying conducted at the physical State House. They do not reach executive agencies, regulatory bodies, or local governments. No law in the public record restricts former gaming regulators from serving on casino boards of directors.

At the Feb. 12 hearing, Gaming Control Board member George Assad noted prior compliance failures at Resorts World, citing a structural gap between its marketing and compliance departments. Sandoval told the board the property had conducted extensive training and had subject matter experts in place. The Nevada Gaming Commission’s final vote on the licenses for both men is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2026. Among those casting a vote will be former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki — who served under Sandoval.