Tony Alamo, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission and a practicing physician, is stepping away from the regulatory board to devote his attention to fighting COVID-19.
Alamo, who was placed on the commission in 2008 and appointed chairman in 2014, sent a resignation letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday.
His last day on the five-member commission will be April 17, 10 days earlier than when his third term was set to expire.
In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, Alamo said he hadn’t planned to seek a fourth term. The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for April 22.
“I was going to finish the month of April and my last meeting, but this COVID-19 will not let me,” said Alamo, also the chief medical director of the OptumCare Nevada health system. “I have to devote my full laser focus to my duties as a physician. We’re about to be in a significant situation here in the next 10-14 days.”
In Alamo’s letter to Sisolak, he said he will “remain the gaming industry’s biggest proponent” and said he “looks forward to seeing Nevada and its citizens overcoming all the challenges currently before us.”
Alamo’s replacement on the commission will be decided by Sisolak.
“The governor probably has people lying in wait,” Alamo said. “There’s a lot of talent out there and I wanted to give the governor plenty of time to bring somebody aboard so I can help transition them during these next 10 days. I’m sure he has somebody in mind.”
Also the former chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, Alamo worked under four Nevada governors — Kenny Guinn, Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval and Sisolak.
Alamo’s father — Tony Alamo Sr. — came to the United States from Cuba in 1962, his son said, with no money and no English-speaking skills.
He moved to Las Vegas in the 1970s.
From his first casino job as a janitor in Reno, Alamo Sr. rose to eventually become senior vice president of the former Mandalay Bay Resorts Group, which was sold to MGM Resorts International for nearly $8 billion.
“To be part of the gaming industry is an honor in itself,” the younger Alamo said. “I’m fortunate to have been the son of a gaming executive who devoted his entire life to gaming. I got to see that part of it and, to see it from the regulatory side, that was the ultimate honor. I worked with the very best.”
A.G. Burnett, an attorney who served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2012 through 2017, said Alamo brought a particular enthusiasm and measure of dedication to his years on the commission, the control board’s sister body.
“First and foremost, Tony is an excellent doctor,” Burnett said. “I will always recall our work together on the Gaming Policy Committee. Anytime we discussed moving Nevada forward in terms of gaming regulation, he always stood front and center, ready to look at new ideas and ways to help the state. He will certainly be missed, but he’s needed in the medical community and he’s incredibly valuable during this time of need.”
It was unclear as of Tuesday when Sisolak might appoint Alamo's replacement.