There are some blog entries one would rather not write. This is one of those occasions. Gentlemanly attorney Robert Faiss, who literally wrote the book on casino regulation in Nevada, died yesterday at age 79. In in an irony he would surely appreciate, Bob left this vale of tears in Boulder City, the one place in Nevada where gaming is prohibited.
Bob was always a good interview and was an early supporter of my work, so I am doubly saddened by his death, even if our paths diverged in recent years. Like me, he was a Midwesterner transplanted to Las Vegas, where (unlike me) he flourished as a student (and, improbably enough, a cheerleader), a journalist and a political advisor to Gov. Grant Sawyer (“The best man I ever knew”) and aide to LBJ himself. In his law practice, he represented both the American Gaming Association and the Nevada Resort Association — rarefied air, to be sure, but Bob remained a down-to-earth person.
“Bob was always superbly prepared, very precise, very persuasive,” said former Gov. Richard Bryan (who shares many of Faiss’ positive attributes). “I will remember Bob as someone who displayed the most extraordinary sense of humility of virtually anyone I’ve known in this or any industry,” added MGM Resorts International CEO James Murren.
A company man, Bob spent his entire legal career with Lionel Sawyer & Collins. He undoubtedly would no more have thought of leaving than he did of retirement. It wasn’t in his DNA.
“Faiss was key to corporate America’s expansion into gaming, the approval of private gaming salons in Strip resorts, business growth by Nevada-based gaming companies across the United States and into foreign markets, and the recent efforts to legalize Internet gaming and mobile wagering … All who recalled Faiss on Thursday remembered him never uttering a negative word about anyone,” writes Howard Stutz. Both Del Webb Corp. and Hilton Hotels were among his casino clientele, and he even did a stint as lead counsel for Howard Hughes‘ Summa Corp. If you were of consequence in Nevada gaming, chances were that Faiss was your attorney.
The world just got a little bit smaller and darker. But Faiss’ legacy will not only live on but continue to pay it forward. His history of Nevada gaming regulation has been translated into … Japanese. So, as Japan ponders gaming regulation, it will have the best possible guidebook readily at hand.
