LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Resorts World Las Vegas has been hit with a disciplinary complaint alleging that illegal gamblers and others with suspected ties to illegal gambling were allowed to gamble inside the casino, thereby damaging the reputation of the state and its gaming industry.
The 12-count complaint from the Nevada Gaming Control Board accuses Resorts World of allowing a “culture of welcome” for people with gambling ties or convictions related to illegal gambling.
It's a shocking development for Resorts World, which opened with much hype in 2021 to replace the Stardust and other cancelled casino concepts.
“Resorts World Las Vegas is aware of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (GCB) complaints,” a Resorts World spokesperson said in a statement provided to News 3. “We are committed to conducting our business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines. We are actively communicating with the GCB to resolve these issues so we can move forward and focus on our guests and approximately 5,000 team members.”
Regulators say gamblers at Resorts World included well-known bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty last week to federal charges of operating an illegal gambling operation in a separate case.
Bowyer was also implicated in a scandal that led to charges against Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who admitted to stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani and using the money to make illegal bets with Bowyer.
According to the complaint, Bowyer visited Resorts World on 80 days between July 2022 and October 2023 and lost more than $6.6 million gambling during that time. Investigators allege Resorts World should have known Bowyer was operating an illegal sports betting operation and that its failure to ban Bowyer may have led to money laundering.
The visits took place while Scott Sibella was president of Resorts World Las Vegas. Sibella is not named in the Gaming Control Board's indictment, but is accused in a separate lawsuit of allowing well-known bookmaker Wayne Nicks to gamble at the MGM Grand while he was president of the resort.
Others who gambled at Resorts World included Edwin Ting, who has known ties to organized crime and pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling operation, Chad Iwamoto, who was convicted of gambling in 2014, and a suspected illegal gambler, according to the indictment.
“The culture within Resorts World created the perception, or in certain circumstances the reality, that Resorts World was a vehicle for laundering funds derived from illegal activities,” the Gaming Control Board said in a news release.
The commission alleges that Resorts World was negligent in complying with its anti-money laundering program and that executives “negligently ignored” or “willfully ignored for financial gain” suspicious and illegal activity.
The commission said the executives failed to fulfill their responsibilities as holders of privileged gaming licenses and caused damage to the reputation of Nevada and its gaming industry.
Regulators are asking the Nevada Gaming Commission to impose fines that could amount to millions of dollars on each of the 12 counts brought against Resorts World and to take action against its gaming license.
The commission also filed a separate complaint against Bowyer's wife, Nicole, a registered independent agent who had contracted with Resorts World. The complaint alleges that she directly profited from her husband's gambling and refused to cooperate with the commission's investigation.
The regulator wants the commission to fine Nicole Bowyer and take action against her registration.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board is responsible for prosecuting violations of the state's gambling laws. The Nevada Gaming Commission will decide whether Resorts World and Nicole Bowyer should be subject to any sanctions.
