Former Resorts World & MGM Grand Prez Surrenders Gaming License

Posted on: December 15, 2024, 05:58h. 

Last updated on: December 15, 2024, 06:48h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) reached an agreement on Thursday with Scott Sibella, the former president of Resorts World and MGM Grand, in which he agreed to surrender his gaming license as part of a five-year ban from Nevada’s gaming industry.

The agreement settles a three count complaint filed by the NGCB in April that alleged that Sibella allowed Wayne Nix — a former minor-league baseball player known by Sibella to operate an illegal sports-betting business — to gamble millions of dollars at the MGM Grand from August 2017 through February 2019.

Sibella had already pleaded guilty in January 2024 in federal court for violating the Bank Secrecy Act in relation to the same allegation. According to that anti-money laundering statute, Sibella was required to file a suspicious transaction report following each incident of wagering by Nix that he was aware of.

Sibella was sentenced in May to one year’s probation and a $9,500 fine.

His settlement with the NGCB shields Sibella from harsher possible consequences, such as a lengthy legal battle and a lifetime ban — though it’s hard to imagine any Nevada casino ever offering him another leadership post after this ban.

Sibella also agreed to a fine of $10K, which will fund the costs of the NGCB investigation.

Before becoming official, the settlement must still be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, the NGCB’s law enforcement arm.

A Resorts World of Trouble

Though the complaint only covered his tenure at the MGM Grand, regulators agreed that the settlement would also cover Sibella for any potential violations he committed while presiding over Resorts World.

The Genting Berhad-owned casino is currently the subject of a separate, 12-count disciplinary complaint from the NGCB whose resolution has yet to be publicly announced. (Resorts World was initially given until December 9 to respond to the complaint.)

Filed on August 15, that complaint charged the casino resort with failing to adhere to and enforce anti-money laundering laws. It recommended that the Nevada Gaming Commision “take action” against Resorts World’s gaming “license(s), registrations, and/or findings of suitability.”

Since opening in 2021, Resorts World has served as a backdrop for a series of gambling scandals. These scandals resulted in arrests and federal convictions for the sports bookmakers Edwin Ting, Chad Iwamoto and, most famously, Mathew Bowyer.

Bowyer, a Southern California bookie, accepted wagers from Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for LA Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who stole $16 million from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts.

Investigators believe that Mizuhara deposited cash into accounts at Resorts World and Pechanga Resort Casino, a tribal gaming venue in Southern California. That cash was used for casino chips and when the chips were cashed in, the proceeds were directed to Bowyer.

Bowyer, who admitted to laundering money through other people’s bank accounts and running the illegal operation for five years, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2025.