Cabot said changes in the regulations \u201ccreate a reporting and investigative system through expansion of compliance plans, requiring incidents involving sexual harassment, that may put the casino industry in a bad light, are investigated, acted on, and reported to the regulators before they make headlines in the national press.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ann McGinley points out that \u201cone very important change\u201d is that discrimination and harassment perpetrated by customers, vendors, and other third parties is illegal. It must be addressed in company policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis goes beyond the discrimination and harassment suffered at the hands of co-workers and supervisors,\u201d McGinley explained. \u201cThis is an extremely important change because — at least in the sex- and gender-based harassment category of cases — often it is third parties, such as customers and vendors, who victimize employees.<\/p>\n
This is particularly true for women who are cocktail servers and others who wear skimpy costumes in the front of the house, as well as women — and perhaps men — employees who are subject to harassment and assaults in the guest rooms and halls of the hotel,\u201d McGinley added. \u201cGiven the high rate of harassment that these employees suffer from customers, this is an extremely important signal that the Gaming Control Board will hold responsible the employers who tolerate such harassment.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
She said that given the number of cameras which show what takes place on casino floors, \u201cthere is no question that license holders know or should know about these behaviors, especially in the front of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as employees working \u201cbehind the scenes,\u201d McGinley said they are \u201cisolated and need the protection of the employers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, McGinley said the regulations will require gaming license holders with 15 or more employees \u201cto have policies that prohibit discrimination and harassment based on a broad spectrum of protected characteristics, such as sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, race, age and disability.\u201d<\/p>\n
The venue also must train employees on the policies and explain how to report discrimination and harassment. Employers additionally have to investigate allegations, McGinley said.<\/p>\n
New Rules Send Message to Casinos<\/h2>\n The regulations also \u201csend a message to gaming license holders and to employees that the state takes discrimination and harassment seriously, and that it is within the purview of gaming regulators to assure not only that the games are played honestly, but also that employees are not injured as they work,\u201d McGinley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a huge and important change to the gaming regulations,\u201d she added. \u201cMoreover, casinos, when faced with individual discrimination and harassment lawsuits, can choose to settle those suits and hide the underlying facts from the public and the Gaming Control Board by requiring individual plaintiffs to sign non-disclosure agreements.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking the law, then, is not only costly to the license holders, but a regulation that could endanger the gaming license will not only create greater transparency, but will also permit the Gaming Control Board to investigate and understand if there is a pattern of discrimination or harassment in a particular workplace,\u201d McGinley explained. \u201cThis should create greater incentives for the casinos to take discrimination and harassment more seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether this works will depend on how seriously the Gaming Control Board works to assure compliance,\u201d McGinley said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nevada\u2019s updated regulations to protect gaming venue workers from sexual harassment and discrimination are getting mixed reactions from two leading law UNLV law professors. The changes, which were approved recently by both the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Gaming Control Board, attempt to address gaps in older regulations. But some argue they lack key specifics. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":120498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Nevada Law Professors Grade Rules to Prevent Harassment at Casinos<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n