Shaping the Future of Gaming

Former Nevada Gaming Control Board member Brittnie Watkins is convinced the LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation degree she received in 2017 from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV has helped her shape the dynamic growth of one of the state’s most challenging industries.

Watkins, who served a four-year term with the Board, was chair from November 2022 to January 2023. Prior to becoming a board member, she represented gaming clients for more than four years as an attorney at Las Vegas-based Pisanelli Bice.

“It provided me with both theoretical and practical knowledge,” says Watkins of the master’s degree in gaming law and regulation. “It’s really a unique degree program.”

The Michigan native, who came to Nevada in 2007, received the juris doctor at Boyd in 2014, along with her Ph.D. She was an inspired student.

“When I was in law school, I suggested to one of the deans that Boyd pursue an LL.M. program,” Watkins says. “Perhaps someone remembered because I received a call and they said, ‘You should apply’ once the program had been established. So I did.”

Professor Jennifer Roberts, who had served as interim executive director of UNLV’s International Center for Gaming Regulation, was an inspiring gaming law faculty member, she said.

“She was a very patient and attentive instructor. You could ask her anything,” Watkins said. “She was also supportive of me outside of class."

A former athlete and recent inductee into the athletic and academic Hall of Fame at her alma mater, Battle Creek Central High School, Watkins is following the rise of sports wagering nationwide.

“Even with the spread of sports wagering across the nation, Nevada’s sports books have set records. For example, in September 2024, Nevada sports books recorded a win amount of 80.9 million, a new all-time monthly record." she noted.

Professional teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Golden Knights, Aces and Athletics, the latter slated to begin play on the Strip in 2028, will cement the development of that part of the culture locally. Watkins, who credits fellow Boyd alumna and current Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan as an inspiration and mentor, resides in the perfect metropolitan area to fulfill a short-term career goal.

When asked where she would like to be in five years, Watkins said, “I hope to still be involved at the intersection of gaming and sports as part of something that is bigger than me, but my mind is certainly open."