Nevada Gaming Regulators Ease Rules on High-Limit “Salons

Access to Nevada’s private high-limit gaming rooms—known in the industry as “salons”—is about to get easier. The Nevada Gaming Commission voted unanimously last week to loosen several long-standing restrictions on salon operations, marking the most significant update to these rules in nearly two decades. The decision followed almost a year of consultation between regulators and major casino operators, including Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, and Hard Rock Las Vegas, working through the Nevada Resort Association (NRA).

The revised regulations, formally adopted Tuesday, are intended to make Nevada’s gaming environment more appealing to high-value customers and to keep their play within state borders. Salon regulations were first introduced in 2001 and amended in 2008. Both earlier reforms were driven by economic necessity—first after the 9/11 attacks and later amid the Great Recession. The latest round of changes comes during a very different period: after several record-breaking post-pandemic years, Nevada gaming revenues dipped slightly in fiscal 2025 as Las Vegas faces a slowdown in tourism and heightened scrutiny over compliance lapses.

The state’s major operators have been hit with multimillion-dollar fines for anti-money laundering (AML) violations this year alone, including Wynn, MGM, and Resorts World. Regulators and industry leaders now see more flexible salon rules as a way to boost high-limit activity while maintaining tighter oversight. The original salon entry threshold required patrons to front at least $500,000 in cash or credit, a figure reduced to $300,000 in 2008. Under the newly adopted rules, the minimum drops sharply to $20,000, a move designed to expand the pool of eligible players.

Other approved updates include:

• Allowing casinos to apply for the right to set their own minimum thresholds based on prior salon experience.
• Adding poker to the list of eligible salon games, with a $20,000 total buy-in minimum and a $10,000 per-player minimum.
• Extending the amount of time a guest can remain in a salon without the primary patron from six to 24 hours.
• The NRA had pushed for even broader flexibility, including no baseline minimums at all, but regulators opted to retain some structural safeguards.

NRA CEO Virginia Valentine praised the outcome, saying the final rules “reflect a balance of needs for the industry and for regulators. That’s key to creating any effective public policy.”

Change	Previous	New
Salon entry threshold	$300,000 (since 2008)	$20,000 baseline; licensees may apply to set their own minimums
Guest time without patron	6 hours	24 hours
Poker in salons	Not eligible	Eligible — $20,000 table buy-in / $10,000 per-player minimum
Operator-set minimums	Not permitted	Allowed by application based on proven salon experience

 

Regulatory Caution and Concerns

The commission’s 5–0 vote followed extended debate over potential AML vulnerabilities and the definition of salon guests. Commissioners Jennifer Tagliotti and Rosa Solis-Rainey questioned how operators would distinguish between patrons and guests, given that both can wager.

Tagliotti voiced unease about the expanded 24-hour guest allowance: “A lot can happen in 24 hours,” she said, noting that personal or financial relationships between patrons and guests could present compliance risks. Commissioner George Markantonis raised broader concerns about the intent behind salons, reminding operators that they were designed for gaming, not as private VIP lounges. He also acknowledged the industry’s recent compliance challenges, saying: “With all of the AML problems we’ve encountered over the last six months, there’s obviously been difficulty for the casinos to control their customers and their hosts.”

Despite the skepticism, casino representatives emphasized that salons are already subject to greater scrutiny than public gaming floors. Charlie Stone, chief of gaming operations at Wynn Las Vegas, told the commission that salon play offers “better surveillance coverage” and a higher staff-to-player ratio than any other casino area. Stone and other executives argued that easing entry requirements would bring more high-limit players into regulated environments, allowing casinos and regulators alike to monitor them more effectively.

MGM declined to comment following the vote, referring inquiries to the NRA. Hard Rock, still under construction and expected to open in 2027, did not participate in the latest hearing. Wynn, which has been a leading advocate for the changes, has said it will wait for formal adoption before making operational adjustments.

 

The new rules reflect a balance of needs for the industry and for regulators. That’s key to creating any effective public policy.

 

A Calculated Bet

For Nevada regulators, the move represents an effort to balance economic competitiveness with integrity. Loosening salon rules may make Las Vegas more attractive to high-spending gamblers, but it also introduces new oversight challenges at a time when casino compliance remains under a national microscope. Whether the relaxed regulations will meaningfully boost high-limit play—or simply expand the administrative burden—remains to be seen. For now, the state’s gaming industry appears united in its belief that it’s worth the gamble.