Next week, A.G. Burnett (pictured) will be stepping down from his role as the Gaming Control Board Chairman of Nevada. Burnett has spent over five years at the helm of the regulatory agency and will now focus on employment within a law firm as well as give his wife as break as she has sacrificed over the years as he attended law school and then took on a second term in the chairman position.

In speaking with The Nevada Independent, Burnett said that he had already decided last year that at some point he would be leaving the board. He said that he wanted to give his wife a break, as she has been ‘working her fingers to the bone’ to help him get through law school. According to Burnett, he has been able to check off several goals during his run as chairman, including putting tools in place that relate to innovations in technology regarding the gaming industry. He has also worked to address marijuana and casino gaming as the two intersect now with the legalization of the controlled substance.

Burnett reportedly received an offer from McDonald Carano, a law firm where he had worked with during his time in law school, and this helped him to make the retirement decision. December 22nd marks the official retirement date, which is one year before his term as acting chairman would come to an end.

It was in January 2011 that Burnett joined the board and he was named chairman the very next year in October by Governor Brian Sandoval. His appointment came right after Senator Mark Lipparelli decided to step down from the position. Burnett was then approved for an additional four-year term as chairman by Sandoval in January 2015.

According to Burnett, he didn’t necessarily jive with Sandoval at first. Burnett stated that in the beginning, the Governor ‘wanted to turn the lights out with me’ but then said he understood. Burnett stated that he is proud to have his fate linked with the governor and have been an appointee of Sandoval, even stating that he modeled himself after the Governor to some extent, as reported by The Nevada Independent.

In commenting on Burnett’s retirement, Governor Sandoval said that he felt Burnett was ‘fair and thoughtful’ and was an individual that was respected by his peers and the industry in which he served. Sandoval stated that Burnett will be able to look back on his career within public service with pride and thanked him for serving the state and wishing him all the best.