Casino companies should be allowed to offer marijuana on their premises, although doing so would require a change in state gaming regulations and laws, some experts argued on Friday.

During the third annual Cannabis and Gaming policy discussion — jointly sponsored by the UNLV International Gaming Institute and the Cannabis Policy Institute — state lawmakers and gaming industry experts discussed changes to current state policy.

Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming, says not every casino would offer marijuana to customers, but that those that want to should be able.

“This is a tool in the toolbox. I don’t believe in silver bullets,” he said. “I don’t think there’s one solution that’s going to put Las Vegas and Nevada back on the trajectory.”

Added Schorr: “I heard Robin just describe a lot of reasons why there should be a marriage between the gaming and cannabis industry. I’ve yet to hear anybody say why there shouldn’t be.”

Read the full article at KTNV

By Steve Sebelius, KTNV — May 2, 2025

Cannabis-friendly state legislation involving the Resort Corridor may offer a crucial opportunity for Las Vegas’ ability to attract visitors amid projected shortfalls, a gaming executive says.

The region is facing significant challenges, with nearly 300,000 fewer visitors this March compared with last year. Meanwhile, the Nevada Legislature is grappling with the state budget after financial experts cut their projections for state revenue receipts over the upcoming biennium by $191 million and lawmakers anticipate declining room tax revenue in the coming fiscal year.

Cannabis integration could help address these issues, said Seth Schorr, CEO of Downtown Grand operator Fifth Street Gaming, who points out that competition in gaming has intensified dramatically. The landscape has transformed over the past decade, with other states and online gambling now presenting serious competition.

Schorr suggests it’s time to reconsider the gaming industry’s approach to cannabis. Despite Nevada’s legalization of recreational marijuana, regulators have maintained separation between the cannabis and gaming industries due to federal prohibitions surrounding marijuana.

“There’s a million reasons that we need every tool in the toolbox as a city to drive visitation. So maybe 10 years ago, we could be conservative. Today, it’s got to be on the table,” Schorr emphasized. “We can’t afford to miss any opportunities.”

Representatives from the gaming and cannabis industries, along with state regulators, gathered Monday at UNLV for a panel on how the industries’ relationship has evolved in the past decade with the legalization of recreational marijuana sales and use in Nevada.

Schorr believes there is a market to tap. Consumption lounges, legally separated from Las Vegas top attractions, were “set up to fail,” he said. But allowing them in a resort property “could change the economics exponentially.”

“In 2006, not every casino had a massive nightclub with DJs. It takes long to figure it out and then we’re kind of in an industry of followers,” Schorr said. “We’ll never know how big the opportunity is until we allow operators to embrace it.”

Read the full article at Las Vegas Sun

By Kyle Chouinard, Las Vegas Sun – May 22, 2025