Work card denial upheld

Wednesday, June 26, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the decision of state gaming regulators to deny a work card to a Las Vegas man who was hired as a bar back at The Orleans casino in 1999.

"The (Nevada) Gaming Commission has not deprived appellant of the right to work, it has simply prohibited him from working in an industry over which it has exclusive licensing and permitting authority," the court said.

Alexander Ocasio was required to get a work card because bar personnel supervised nearby slot machines and made change at The Orleans.

The state Gaming Control Board voted to deny a work card to Ocasio based on his guilty plea to petty larceny after he obtained $4,977 in state unemployment benefits by submitting false statements every week for six months.

The Gaming Commission affirmed the action of the board and Ocasio sued. Senior District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski ruled against him and the Supreme Court upheld that decision.

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