$10.5M fine levied against Resorts World, second-largest in Nevada history

Resorts World Las Vegas will pay the second-highest fine ever handed down by Nevada gaming regulators for allowing gamblers with ties to illegal bookmaking and histories of federal felony convictions to play at its casino.

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission levied a $10.5 million fine against Resorts World and its parent company, Genting Berhad. The financial punishment from state gaming regulators is second only to the $20 million paid by Wynn Resorts Ltd. in 2019.

The approved settlement between the casino and state gaming regulators follows a 2024 complaint by the Nevada Gaming Control Board stemming from the property’s anti-money laundering compliance failures. The complaint originally contained 12 counts but was later amended to 10. According to the terms of the settlement, Resorts World and Genting do not confirm or deny the allegations contained in the NGCB complaint.

The day before appearing before the Gaming Commission, Resorts World confirmed layoffs at the property of “less than 50 full-time” employees, citing “ongoing efforts to optimize efficiency and maximize the exceptional experience we seek to deliver to our guests.”

Details of settlement

As part of the settlement, Resorts World has agreed to implement stricter anti-money laundering protocols and make leadership changes.

Since the NGCB complaint was filed in August, Genting, the Malaysia-based conglomerate which owns and operates the Strip hotel-casino, has overhauled its Las Vegas executive team, appointing Alex Dixon as chief executive officer in January. Genting also created a board of directors that includes former MGM Resorts International chairman and CEO Jim Murren; former Gaming Control Board chairman A.G. Burnett; Michelle DiTondo, a seasoned human resources executive who worked at MGM and Caesars; K.H. Tan, Genting’s president and CEO; and former Nevada Gaming Commission chairman Brian Sandoval, a former Nevada governor, attorney general and current president of the University of Nevada, Reno. The board members and Dixon were all present Thursday at the commission’s public meeting.

While the Nevada settlement resolves the matter at the state level, the NGCB reserved the right to pursue further disciplinary action if federal authorities take action against Resorts World.

According to the initial Control Board complaint, Resorts World — a $4.3 billion property that opened in June 2021 at the north end of the Strip — operated with a culture that suggested persons with ties to illegal bookmaking were welcomed at the property. At the center of the amended NGCB complaint are two illegal bookmakers, Mathew Bowyer and Damien Leforbes.

Among those known to place bets with Bowyer was Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who admitted to stealing millions of dollars from the baseball player to fund his own gambling activities.

Six of the 10 counts of the NGCB complaint involved Bowyer, who won and lost millions of dollars playing at Resorts World. The Control Board also filed a complaint against his wife, Nicole Bowyer, who was a registered independent agent contracted by Resorts World.

As an independent agent, Nicole Bowyer was allowed to directly profit from her husband’s casino wagering. State gaming regulators have yet to adjudicate Nicole Bowyer’s disciplinary complaint.

According to Nevada regulators, Mathew Bowyer gambled at Resorts World for approximately 20 months and lost just under $8 million without the casino’s compliance committee ever establishing his source of funds, as required by law.

Bowyer’s activities at Resorts World coincided with the tenure of Scott Sibella, who was the property’s president and chief operating officer between pre-opening 2019 through September 2023. Sibella pleaded guilty in January 2024 to a single federal charge of failing to properly adhere to AML regulations while president of the MGM Grand, where he worked prior to joining Resorts World. While overseeing MGM Grand, Sibella failed to properly report suspicious financial transactions of the since-convicted illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix.

In December, Nevada regulators revoked Sibella’s gaming license and his finding of suitability in the state in addition to imposing a fine of $10,000. Sibella was placed on the board’s list of denials, revocations and findings of unsuitability, barring him from applying to re-enter Nevada’s gaming industry for a five-year term, retroactive to December 2023.

The Control Board’s settlement agreement with Sibella notes that while the disciplinary complaint against the former executive addresses his tenure at MGM Grand, it also resolves any “responsibility attributable” to him at Resorts World.

Testimony at hearing

Several hours before the Gaming Commission voted on the Resorts World settlement, high-stakes gambler and social media whistleblower Robert “R.J.” Cipriani delivered an emotional and scattered testimony detailing his multi-year effort to shine light on “wrongdoings” at Resorts World. Cipriani, who goes by the X moniker Robin Hood 702, publicly acknowledged, for the first time, his role in turning federal authorities’ attention to Nevada.

In emails shared with the Review-Journal dating back several years, Cipriani alerted multiple individuals and agencies about perceived illegal activity at Las Vegas casinos, including leadership at both MGM Resorts International, Genting and both Nevada gaming regulatory bodies.

Cipriani filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against the casino and Sibella in which he alleged the Strip property allowed known felons to gamble and, in response to bringing that information to management’s attention, directed another player to harass and intimidate him. The suit was dismissed in 2024. Cipriani is appealing the dismissal.

On Thursday, Cipriani asked the Gaming Commission to impose a stiffer penalty against Resorts World than the agreed-upon $10.5 million.

Sibella sent an unsolicited response to Cipriani’s testimony, saying, in part, that it would be “unfathomable” for regulators to “ever consider” Cipriani’s request.

“This board is well aware through its investigation that there was no finding of wrongdoing regarding Cipriani’s allegations,” Sibella said in the statement.

Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @ac2vegas-danzis.bsky.social or @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.