Las Vegas gaming worker faces possible five-year industry ban after licensure denial

A longtime Las Vegas gaming employee may be barred from working in the state’s casino industry for at least five years if the Nevada Gaming Commission votes Thursday to uphold a recommendation from the Gaming Control Board, which has already voted to deny his application for a key management license.

Matthew Galanti, who had applied to serve as general manager for Nevada Restaurant Services Inc.—operator of the Dotty’s casino chain—was terminated by the company a day after appearing before the board in a January licensing hearing. According to board agents, Galanti was fired for falsifying employee time clock and mileage records.

The Gaming Control Board recommended denial of Galanti’s licensure in a rare split vote following an hour-long hearing in which Galanti represented himself. Chairman Kirk Hendrick cast the lone vote against the denial, citing the board’s unfinished investigation, though he acknowledged that the testimony supported rejecting the application.

“If the commission does not overturn the vote of the board today,” Hendrick said, “it can have long-lasting ramifications for your ability to work in the gaming industry.”

If the Nevada Gaming Commission affirms the recommendation, Galanti’s name would be placed on the state’s “gray list” of denied applicants, which would bar him from employment with any licensed gaming operator in Nevada for a minimum of five years.

During the hearing, Galanti testified that he had clocked in at a Nevada Restaurant Services location on January 7 before attending a meeting with a Gaming Control Board hearing officer. He was fired the following day after failing to account for his whereabouts.

Board members questioned discrepancies in Galanti’s testimony, including inconsistencies about past employment, his departure from Aria amid a dispute over Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provisions, and his failure to disclose a severance payment received from Red Rock Resorts. The board also noted that Galanti had filed for bankruptcy protection twice during his career.

Galanti, who told the board that both he and his wife are currently unemployed, said he could not afford legal representation and had received advice on his application from a Nevada prison inmate.

“I would encourage you strongly to consult with a gaming attorney or attorney with knowledge of the gaming laws and regulations in the state of Nevada,” Hendrick advised.

The Nevada Gaming Commission is expected to consider the board’s recommendation at its next scheduled meeting. As of the latest update, 145 individuals and companies are listed on the commission’s public registry of denials and findings of unsuitability, dating from January 1980 to August 2021.