Bo Bernhard was named executive director of the International Gaming Institute (IGI) at the UNLV Harrah Hotel College. IGI is a nonprofit academic center that offers research and educational programs for the global gaming industry.

Bernhard's award-winning body of research has spanned more than 15 years and has been widely cited by academic, industry and governmental institutions.

Bernhard's projects have been prominently featured in local and national media outlets (including CNN, PBS, NPR, The New York Times, The Australian Broadcasting Channel, and The History Channel). He has directed more than $1 million in grant-funded research projects, on subjects ranging from the socio-economic impacts of gaming industries to biological drivers of gambling behavior to Internet gaming policy.

"Bo has established a worldwide reputation for his research work, and his connections to the international gaming industry over the years have broadened UNLV's reach," said Donald Snyder, dean of the Harrah Hotel College. "To have someone of Bo's stature will enhance the platform IGI has built over the years."

He began his research career at Harvard University, with an undergraduate thesis on the community impacts of the gaming and tourism industries in Nevada. He then came to UNLV to earn his Ph.D. and soon extended his analysis to global perspectives.

In 2002, Bernhard was named the inaugural research director at the IGI. He has lectured on his research on six continents and has delivered more than 200 keynote addresses to regulatory, government, and policy leaders around the world.

Several international governments, including South Africa, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Macao, Mexico, Vietnam, Taiwan, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Portugal, Austria, Greece, England, and Canada, have recognized his research.

Bernhard worked alongside South Korean government officials when domestic gaming was introduced there. He delivered multiple presentations to Singapore's policymakers during that nation's casino legalization process. In South Africa, he delivered a weeklong symposium to gaming regulators. In Canada, his work has focused on the impacts of responsible gaming programs.

Bernhard has earned several awards including the 2007 World Affairs Council's International Educator of the Year award for his focus on globalization. In 2008, Bernhard was named the UNLV Harrah Hotel College's Boyd Distinguished Professorship for Research as the top researcher in the college. He was given one of UNLV's top teaching awards - the Spanos Award - in 2009. In 2010, he was named executive editor of the UNLV Gaming Research Journal and a Lincy Fellow at UNLV's Brookings Mountain West.

About the International Gaming Institute

IGI offers custom educational programs and holds seminars, webinars, classes for businesses, governments, and industry professionals throughout the world. IGI also conducts gaming research and publishes the twice-yearly UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, which covers industry news and trends in laws and regulations, management techniques, and technology.