Better late than never, Nevada Gaming Control Board. The watchdog group is making up for lost time with regard to renegade casino Resorts World Las Vegas. Earlier this month is slammed Resorts World and parent Genting Group with a 31-page complaint for having “failed to fulfill its responsibilities as the holder of a privileged Nevada gaming license.” Genting, in turn, had been taking a see-no-evil stance towards its Las Vegas offspring, claiming that it acts entirely of its own volition. We’ll see now if that attitude washes.
To get to the nub of the issue, Resorts World is accused of going rogue or, more specifically, having “allowed a culture that welcomed certain individuals with suspected or actual ties to illegal bookmaking, histories of federal felony convictions related to illegal gambling businesses, and ties to organized crime.” Like Venelazzo before it, Resorts World stands accused of blowing off anti-money-laundering rules as its monied felons and assorted scofflaws gambled millions. The “Why” is painfully obvious.
As the complaint continues, “The NGCB investigation revealed 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.” Yes, ex-president and newborn felon Scott Sibella got fired but it sounds for all the world like the problem went much deeper and that a thorough housecleaning is in order, starting with the sackings of the CFO, AML officer, the general counsel, the director of surveillance, director of compliance and veep of player development. That would be a good beginning.
Some of Resorts World’s felonious favorites included Mathew Bowyer, the outlaw bookie behind the Shohei Ohtani scandal, Mob associate Edwin Ting and convicted felon Chad Iwamoto. All of these guys have rap sheets, as Genting execs could easily have ascertained. (It’s called “Google,” boys.) In a truly extraordinary circumstance, Nicole Bowyer was allowed to earn a commission on her husband’s ill-gotten wagering, which should have sent up red flags if nothing else did. It seems pretty clear that Sibella’s underlings didn’t know only because they didn’t want to know. Even when Resorts World—assuming anybody there could read—knew the Nevada Current was onto them, they continued to let Bowyer and others gamble. That’s probably easy to rationalize when you have a sucker like Bowyer on the hook for almost $8 million in losses.
Genting, for its part, is trying to get back to business-as-unusual ASAP. To wit, “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.” In other words, please don’t fine us and pretty please don’t take our license. But it’s hard to overlook conduct such as the incident in which Resorts World’s AML committee was explicitly warned that Mr. Bowyer was engaged in criminal activity and did nothing save scrubbing the information from committee minutes. Mens rea, anyone?
In another moment of glory, the little Sibella clones whined that it would take three months to verify the source of Bowyer’s monies … and therefore let him gamble for 20 months, unverified. God forbid those suits should have to do their jobs for a living. Sibella himself is hiding behind a defense of ignorance: “I relied on my executive team to handle compliance issues,” he told ace reporter Dana Gentry. What a profile in courage he is. Not.
As Gentry writes, “The move ended months of awkward silence and inaction on the part of state regulators while federal officials from California investigated.” The question becomes ‘What now”?’ Genting and its outlaw casino can almost surely look forward to a seven- or eight-figure fine and a stern talking-to from Kirk Hendrick. Something more severe appears to be in order, given the gravity of the offenses.
We have never recommended this before for a U.S. casino but Genting has stepped in it so deeply that license revocation should be seriously considered and probably enacted. (At minimum, that New York City casino application should be turned down promptly.) Chances are, if Genting gets off the hook, it will just do it again. Look at how many of the bad actors fingered by the NGCB still enjoy gainful employment at Resorts World. No, Genting should get a swift, hard kick in the rear, hopefully one that propels it clear out of Sin City.
Jottings: That grand archway that formerly welcomed guests to The Mirage has found a new home, at least for now. It’s been donated to the Neon Museum, which hopes to shed it north-of-Downtown location soon in favor of roomier digs in the Arts District. We wish them heartiest good luck … Interior Secretary Deb Haaland‘s department continues to cut corners with regard to tribal gaming and that doesn’t sit well with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). He’s taking issue with land-in-trust procedures involving a pair of Golden State tribes, opposed by the Lytton Rancheria … Tourists aren’t exactly flocking to Atlantic City these days, as casino receipts reflect. Various forms of Boardwalk malaise are blamed, as is a reversion to a consumer preference for fly-to destinations … Telehealth is a pandemic innovation that’s here to stay—and it may benefit problem gamblers who are on edge. Says proponent Dr. Nathan Smith, “There’s so much stigma around addiction in general, but particularly around gambling disorder, that we find any way that you can lower barriers to treatment, you should.” We strongly agree …
Five years along in their casino-development process, the Pamunkey Tribe has signaled openness to a temporary casino in Norfolk. First things first, the Pamunkey need an extension to their November 2025 deadline for a gambling license, especially having failed to get any shovels in the ground yet … Venelazzo is promising “a new era in opulence” after its $1.5 billion makeover, courtesy of Apollo Management. The old era was nothing to sneeze at, but any 25-year-old megaresort is overdue for a facelift. Weirdly, Venelazzo management has been running scared from Casino Life magazine, importuning us for publicity but refusing to make anyone available for interviews. Strange … Speaking of the bizarre, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has finally gained relevance—to the betting markets.