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Resorts World Las Vegas<\/strong><\/a> and its operating affiliates have agreed to pay a $10.5 million fine<\/strong> to resolve a wide-ranging complaint brought by Nevada regulators, which\u00a0accused the casino of allowing convicted felons and individuals with ties to illegal gambling to play at the property<\/strong>. The proposed settlement, filed Thursday with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, is now pending final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If approved, the fine would become the second-largest in Nevada\u2019s gaming history<\/strong>, following a $20 million penalty levied against Wynn Resorts in 2019 in a sexual harassment case.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Control Board\u2019s complaint, initially filed in August 2023 and later revised, outlines a pattern of failures<\/strong> in Resorts World\u2019s anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance framework and highlights the casino\u2019s relationship with individuals involved in unlawful bookmaking operations.<\/p>\n Among the most prominent names mentioned is Mathew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty in California to operating an illegal gambling business and money laundering<\/strong>. Regulators allege that Bowyer wagered and lost millions at Resorts World, while his wife, Nicole Bowyer, who was a registered independent agent of the casino, received commissions on his play.\u00a0<\/p>\n The complaint details how Resorts World offered comps, gifts, and other benefits to patrons with criminal backgrounds<\/strong>, despite having an AML program in place. \u201cResorts 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 […] were welcomed,\u201d the original August 15 complaint stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n Regulators later amended the document to remove references to organized crime<\/strong>. <\/strong>In addition to paying the fine, Resorts World has agreed to a number of conditions<\/strong>, including mandatory attendance by key employees at anti-money-laundering seminars, the hiring of more compliance staff, and the maintenance of AML training records for a minimum of five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company must also submit regular AML compliance reports<\/strong> to the Control Board and conduct an annual review of its AML program.<\/p>\n The casino has already begun restructuring its leadership<\/strong>, appointing high-profile figures including former MGM Resorts Chairman Jim Murren and ex-Nevada Governor and Gaming Commission Chair Brian Sandoval to its board of directors. Former Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett has also joined the board<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In a statement, a Resorts World spokesperson said: \u201cResorts World Las Vegas has reached a pending settlement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board<\/strong>. We look forward to the Nevada Gaming Commission considering the settlement and ultimately resolving this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n The disciplinary action also overlaps with the tenure of Scott Sibella, Former President and COO of Resorts World<\/strong>, who pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year to failing to report suspicious activities<\/a>. While not named in the Resorts World complaint, Sibella issued a statement suggesting that other major Las Vegas casinos had also permitted the same illegal bookmakers to gamble at their properties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two bookmakers that put Resorts World in this situation gambled at all the major casinos in Las Vegas for many years,\u201d Sibella told the Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/em><\/strong>. \u201cIt will be interesting to see what occurs now between those casinos and the Gaming Control Board and the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n The Nevada Gaming Commission is scheduled to review the proposed settlement <\/strong>at its meeting next week in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n