Bo Bernhard

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Vice President of Economic Development
Professor, Sociology and Hospitality
Special Advisor, International Gaming Institute
Expertise: Gaming, Tourism, Problem Gambling, Sports Wagering

Biography

Bo Bernhard's research and teaching work focuses on the impacts of gaming and tourism industries on communities around the world. His grant-funded studies have supported more than a dozen student researchers who share his interest in examining the sociological laboratory of Las Vegas. He is currently exploring the long-term health of problem gamblers and Nevada’s regulated sports betting industry within the context of professional sports in Las Vegas. In addition, he has studied the health contours of multiethnic and multiracial individuals in the United States.

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 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ to earn his Ph.D. and soon extended his analysis to global perspectives.

In 2010, he was named executive editor of the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Gaming Research Journal and a Lincy Fellow at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s Brookings Mountain West. Bernhard spent more than a decade as executive director of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's International Gaming Institute (IGI) before transitioning in 2023 to serve full-time as 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ vice president of economic development. He maintains his affiliation with IGI as special advisor.

His work on gambling, society, and Las Vegas has been prominently featured on CNN, The Discovery Channel, the BBC, and The History Channel.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • B.A., Sociology, Harvard University
  • B.S., Psychology, Harvard University

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economy, gaming & gambling, hospitality & tourism, Las Vegas, Nevada, social issues

Bo Bernhard In The News

Vegas 411
It’s home to a symphony orchestra, choral ensembles, ever-changing exhibitions, virtual galleries, and museums. It’s the base of operations for the Jazz Outreach Initiative, a concert hall, and a haven for theater students. Its halls and classrooms honor art’s history while fostering future masterpieces. The College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas powers the pulse of Sin City…and it continues to grow.
K.V.V.U. T.V. Fox 5
Warner Bros. Discovery will make Las Vegas its next filming headquarters and hub all in partnership with 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, according to University officials. The announcement came Wednesday during a packed town hall on campus, with a number of representatives from the company and 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ in attendance.
Focus Gaming News
The organisers of the Regulating the Game conference have announced Dr. Bo Bernhard, vice president of economic development at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, will headline its 2025 edition in Sydney. “Dr. Bernhard is not just any speaker—he’s a fifth-generation Nevadan whose global work has taken him from the glitz of Las Vegas to South Africa, Europe, Japan, Singapore, and beyond.
Yogonet Gaming News
The Regulating the Game conference has announced that Dr. Bo Bernhard, Vice President of Economic Development at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, will headline its 2025 edition in Sydney. Now in its fifth year, the conference is set to take place on March 10 - 13.
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