The longest-serving member of the Nevada Gaming Commission was named chairman of the panel while a Las Vegas business litigation and bankruptcy attorney was appointed to an open seat. Both appointments were made by Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Las Vegas attorney John Moran Jr., who was first appointed to the Gaming Commission in 2004, confirmed Saturday he was named chairman. Moran has been serving as acting chairman since early April following the resignation of then-Chairman Tony Alamo Jr., whose term was expiring at the end of that month.
In addition, Ogonna Brown was appointed to the Gaming Commission this month by Sisola, according to her biography that appeared Friday on the agency’s website. There was no announcement from Sisolak’s office about the appointments. A spokeswoman for the governor could not be reached for comment.
Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman John Moran, Jr./photo via Las Vegas Sun
“I was happy to receive the appointment and I was also happy the governor appointed Ogonna. She’s going to be a great addition to the commission,” Moran said.
Moran’s term expires at the end of April 2021. Brown’s term runs through April 2024.
The five-person, part-time Gaming Commission makes the final determination on licensing, regulation changes, and other matters concerning the nation’s largest gaming state. The commission’s decisions are based on recommendations from the full-time Gaming Control Board.
Moran, a Las Vegas attorney and part of a long-standing Nevada family affiliated with law enforcement, joined the Gaming Commission after serving terms as both a member and chairman of the Nevada Wildlife Commission and Colorado River Commission.
He was appointed and re-appointed to the Gaming Commission by three different Nevada governors and was elevated to the chairmanship by a fourth.
Ogonna Brown, Nevada Gaming Commission member/courtesy photo
Brown, who is a partner in the Las Vegas office of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, has nearly 20 years of legal experience, primarily in the areas of complex business litigation and bankruptcy focusing on creditors’ rights. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Juris Doctor from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law.
Sisolak, who took office in January 2019, has now appointed the majority of the members of both the Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission.
He appointed Sandra Douglass Morgan chairwoman of the Gaming Control Board in January 2019 and Phil Katsaros as a board member in April 2019. In addition to Brown, Sisolak has appointed two other Las Vegas attorneys to the Gaming Commission, Rosa Solis-Rainey in April 2019 and Steven Cohen in May 2019.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
