The former head of troubled Sin City casino resort Resorts World Las Vegas has given up his Nevada gambling license in a settlement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The NGCB brought a legal filing against Scott Sibella earlier in 2024, accusing him of money laundering violations. The former Resorts World and MGM Grand exec admitted all charges in a December regulatory filing, which was recently released.
The NGCB will formally confirm the revocation of Sibella’s gambling license when it meets on December 19.
The regulator filed against Sibella in August. It came weeks after the former gambling exec was found guilty in a federal case against him relating to his time in charge of the MGM Grand.
He was fined and sentenced to probation in that case. Sibella was previously fired from his President position at Resorts World Las Vegas in late 2023, amid swirling rumors of a federal investigation.
Sibella’s violations related to his failure to report the gambling activities of California bookmaker Wayne Nix. The cross-departmental federal investigation into associates of Nix and other illegal California-based bookies has also caught up with Resorts World, which is facing its own NGCB complaint over money laundering.
The Settlement
Sibella joined Resorts World in 2019. He had previously been president of MGM Grand since 2008. During that time, he appeared on the TV show Undercover Boss, posing as a trainee dealer on the casino floor.
It was his 2018 involvement with former minor league baseball player and now-convicted illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix that was his downfall. Sibella admitted earlier this year in a California court that he willfully ignored the possibility that Nix’s high-limit gambling may have been bankrolled by an illegal bookmaking operation.
He filed a guilty plea in relation to violating the bank secrecy act by not reporting transactions he knew to be suspicious.
In a joint legal filing with the NGCB earlier this month, Sibella signed off on a document admitting similar charges. As well as having his Nevada Gaming license revoked and barred from reapplication for five years, Sibella paid a $10,000 fine.
The career earnings losses from being barred from holding a position in Nevada gambling companies are larger than any fine the NGCB could have given him as an individual in this case, prosecutors said.
The NGCB may have pushed for a full revocation of Sibella’s gambling license, as it had faced criticism for not stepping in during or even before the federal investigation.
In 2023, the Board cleared Sibella of involvement with another potential illegal gambling operation that was linked to a banned Las Vegas high-limit gambler and a Resorts World taco stand. Businessman and gambler Brandon Sattler made the claims against Sibella that time, for which he was cleared by the NGCB.
#Sattler, himself a convicted felon, told the Daily Mail newspaper that he was glad Sibella had been fired from Resorts World.
“So, look at this, nobody wanted to believe me, and look what happened,” Sattler said.
“This piece of s**t is out on the streets, and Resorts World needs to issue a public apology to me.”
Resorts World’s Worries
Issuing an apology to Sattler is probably very far down the priority list of Resorts World Las Vegas and its owner, Genting, right now.
The recent legal admission from its former President Sibella will only add to the Las Vegas Strip mega resort’s troubles. The casino is currently facing legal filings from the NGCB over allegations it allowed convicted illegal California bookmaker Matt Bowyer, and several others, to gamble millions at the venue without doing due checks on their finances.
The story received wider publicity outside of the gambling world when Bowyer was connected to the theft of $15 million from Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had large gambling debts with Bowyer, which he paid off using the stolen money.
The company’s recent Q3 2024 financial report was not particularly impressive either, adding to investor concerns.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
