Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) allegedly “welcomed” illegal bookmakers and players with a “history of ties to organized crime,” says the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB).
The Board levied the allegations against RWLV and its co-defendants in a disciplinary complaint filed against the casino resort last week. The complaint further accuses RWLV of plying said players with “comps, gifts, and discounts” and allowing them to “wager and lose substantial sums of money.”
In the 12-count filing, the NGCB alleges that RWLV’s internal culture allowed illegal activity to flourish at the Vegas property.
The BOARD’s investigation further revealed that there exists an overall lack of control within RESORTS WORLD and acceptance among RESORTS WORLD executives of a culture where information of suspicious or illegal activity is, at a minimum, negligently disregarded, or, at worst, willfully ignored for financial gain given the overall pressure for RESORTS WORLD to generate revenue and that the bonuses of RESORTS WORLD’s executives are directly tied to the financial success of RESORTS WORLD.
Alleged Corruption Paints Nevada in Bad Light
The NGCB further argues that RWLV’s reputation as an “avenue to launder” illegal funds reflects poorly on Nevada and its gaming industry.
Per the filing:
RESORTS WORLD failed to fulfill its obligations as the holder of a privileged Nevada gaming license and caused damage to the reputation of the State of Nevada and Nevada’s gaming industry.
The Board has requested the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) fine RWLV and its owners (Genting Berhad and related companies) and take action against its licenses.
News of the complaints is welcomed by many, including activist gambler RJ Cipriani, aka Robin Hood 702. In recent years, Cipriani has seemingly made it his mission to weed out corruption in Sin City.
Cipriani told Bonus through a representative that the NGCB’s scrutiny is past due.
I’ve been trying to expose Scott Sibella and his casino cohorts for many years; just look at all my Tweets.
I applaud the California feds from the IRS and HSI for finally getting this case going. The Cali feds made the NGCB look asleep at the wheel despite all the corruption and crime going on right in their own backyard at Las Vegas casinos.
RWLV Faces Possible Fines, License Implications
According to various media reports, RWLV’s parent company, Genting, has sought legal advice on moving forward. Meanwhile, it says RWLV is cooperating with the NGCB.
In an email to Bonus, a Resorts World spokesperson said it’s aware of the complaint and is working with the Board to address the allegations.
We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines. We have been actively communicating with the GCB to resolve these issues so we can move forward and focus on our guests and nearly 5,000 team members.
Expectedly, the companies are reportedly taking the allegations seriously, as RWLV faces fines of $25,000 to $250,000 per violation and the possibility of having its licenses limited, suspended, or revoked.
As noted by Malaysia-based financial services company CIMB Securities, the excessive number of alleged violations could result in a historic fine. Until now, the largest fine NGC ever levied was against Wynn Resorts in 2019—for a cool $20 million.
Based on NGCB’s complaint, we note there are allegedly about 300 separate violations, which may potentially result in a fine of US$7.5 million to US$75 million.
Recent reports also suggest the current scandal could impact Genting’s likelihood of securing one of three downstate casino licenses in New York.
Before this latest turbulence, RWLV fired its former president and chief operating officer, Scott Sibella, last September over “violations of company policy.” In January, Sibella pled guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to file reports on suspicious financial transactions while running MGM Grand.
Complaint Alleges RWLV Welcomed Bowyer, Others
Digging into the NGCB complaint against RWLV, the first six counts are related to Mathew Bowyer. Bowyer is the bookie who took thousands of illegal bets from interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter. Mizuhara admitted stealing over $16 million from the baseball star to fund his addiction.
The complaint details records from meetings of RWLV’s anti-money laundering (AML) compliance committee, during which executives ignored warnings about Bowyer’s bookmaking on several occasions.
Ultimately, between December 2021 and October 2023, the complaint alleges that despite being unable to confirm his source of funds, RWLV allowed Bowyer to bet and lose millions.
Further, in April 2022, Resorts World hired Bowyer’s wife, Nicole, as an independent agent. (Notably) A separate but related complaint filed simultaneously by the NGCB on Aug. 15 also targets Nicole Bowyer. Sometime after her hire, at Mr. Bowyer’s request and behest of an unidentified RWLV executive, “Executive A,” Mrs. Bowyer became her husband’s casino host.
RESORTS WORLD contracted with and continued to use the services of Nicole Bowyer although RESORTS WORLD knew, or should have known, that her spouse, Mathew Bowyer, was a suspected illegal bookmaker and that Bowyer’s source of funds was not established.
RESORTS WORLD failed to prevent Bowyer’s spouse, as an independent agent for RESORTS WORLD with Bowyer as her client, from earning substantial commissions derived, in part, from Bowyer’s losses at RESORTS WORLD that could have been, or were in fact, derived from an illegal bookmaking business.
NGCB Calls Out RWLV’s Complicit Culture
Four of the six remaining counts involve an unidentified individual called “Patron A.” Two more reference Edwin Ting, while another targets Chad Iwamoto. RWLV allegedly granted Ting, convicted of illegal gambling in 2014, credit in 2021, and allowed him to gamble until they finally barred him last August.
Similarly, Resorts World allegedly permitted Iwamoto to gamble despite pleading guilty to transmitting wagering information in 2014, a felony crime.
While their identity is unknown, the Nevada Current speculated in a recent report that Patron A may be suspected bookie Damien LeForbes. Notably, another Current report published in May identified LeForbes as a target of a federal investigation into illegal bookmaking.
The complaint’s twelfth and final count directly targets Resorts World’s culture.
Despite having an AML Program and having apparently trained its employees, RESORTS WORLD allowed a culture to exist at its gaming establishment where individuals with suspected and actual ties to illegal bookmaking, with histories of federal felony convictions related to illegal gambling businesses, and with a history of ties to organized crime, are )i welcomed at RESORTS WORLD, i) provided comps, gifts, and discounts in an effort to obtain their business, and i ) allowed to wager and lose substantial sums of money at RESORTS WORLD. This culture results in the perception and/or reality that RESORTS WORLD is an avenue to launder funds derived from illegal activity and/or to further criminal activity causing damage to the reputation of the State of Nevada and Nevada’s gaming industry.
The NGCB further specifies in the complaint that its investigation remains open, pending further action from the feds. The admission indicates Resorts World’s problems could be far from over.
NGCB Goes All-in on Enforcement
With these complaints and another filed in April against Sibella over actions that led to his guilty plea, the NGCB has exercised its enforcement chops, even if it took a while.
The NGCB had previously investigated Sibella over his activities while at MGM Grand.
However, in early 2023, George Assad, newly appointed to the NGCB by Gov. Joe Lombardo, announced that the Board had cleared Sibella of wrongdoing. It wasn’t until the fed’s involvement later that year that the NGCB revisited the many allegations against Sibella and his former employers.
Again, per the Nevada Current, in 2022, Resorts World hired Bird Marella, a Los Angeles-based law firm, to conduct an independent investigation into allegations surrounding Sibella and Resorts World. Of specific interest was whether Sibella had provided false or misleading information to the NGCB, mainly related to gambler Brandon Sattler. Sattler, also a Resorts World vendor, claimed Sibella was aware of undesirables gambling and doing business at the property.
The firm also investigated Resorts World’s business relationships and whether it was working with any unsavory persons or businesses. Specifically, Bird Marella’s inquiry involved former Resorts World eatery Tacos El Cabron, linked to the convicted bookie and admitted money launderer David Stroj. Within a month of a Current report on that investigation, the taco stand closed, although the NGCB has not linked the closure to its investigation.
Further, Bird Marella reportedly reviewed RWLV’s business dealings with Eight Cigar Lounge owners, attorney David Chesnoff, and convicted drug trafficker Joseph Angelo Bravo. However, any findings of that aspect of the inquiry are unknown.
Reportedly, Resorts World submitted Bird Marella’s report, which cleared Sibella and RWLV of wrongdoing, to the NGCB in response to the state investigation.
Robin Hood 702 Warned RWLV, NCGB, Authorities
Long before the feds had Sibella in their crosshairs, Cipriani had been warning authorities about Vegas’s casino-related corruption. However, few seemed to pay much attention until the federal agencies took interest.
Considering Cipriani’s role in the breakup of former USC footballer Owen Hanson‘s drug and betting ring, that might be surprising. In 2017, Hanson received a 21-year sentence. However, he recently secured early release after seven years. Cipriani also played a critical role in a related Canadian investigation that took down the country’s intelligence head over leaked secrets.
For years, Cipriani has raised the alarm and named those he said were up to no good on his X (fka Twitter) account. Notably, his accusations targeted Sibella, Bowyer, Ting, Stroj, Bravo, Sattler, LeForbes, and others.
According to an X post from May 13, Cipriani sent multiple emails detailing the corruption to individuals at RWLV, MGM Resorts (owner of MGM Grand), the NGCB, the FBI, and local law enforcement over recent years. His post indicated that those he contacted “did nothing,” and the NGCB had yet to reach out.
Bonus obtained copies of emails sent to Genting Chairman KT Lim in December 2021, and another to Gov. Lombardo in February 2022 when he was still sheriff. In both emails Cipriani shares many accusations that have since proven accurate. However, those warnings seem to have gone unheeded.
Complaints Support Cipriani’s Accusations
In October 2023, Cipriani filed a federal lawsuit against Sibella and RWLV, claiming retaliation for whistleblowing. He argued that rather than deal with the criminal element, they opted to maintain the status quo and retaliate instead. Cipriani claims the counter-attack led to his arrest for theft and cheating.
While prosecutors eventually reduced the charges to a single count of disorderly conduct, the high-stakes blackjack player said the damage was already done. His complaint asks for damages to address the resulting impact, including US casinos banning him from playing.
With these latest complaints lending credence to his accusations, Cipriani is eager for his day in court.
Cipriani, through his rep, said he believes shame finally drove the NGCB into action.
NGCB had to act immediately after being embarrassed with the first guilty plea of former President and COO of Resorts World LV Scott Sibella and now the second guilty plea of illegal bookmaker Matt Bowyer.
Hopefully, the NGCB will now pay attention to my intel and sources and return my hundreds of unanswered calls and emails to their enforcement agents and board members.
One thing is certain: After he gave Resorts World and Scott Sibella a clean bill of health, George Assad needs to resign and step down.
Bonus contacted the NGCB, Gov. Lombardo, and Nicole Bowyer for comment. The NGCB has declined to comment, and neither Bowyer nor Lombardo responded.
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