Former MGM Grand and Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella is facing further legal ramifications for his alleged role in laundering money for two illegal California bookmaking operations.
Earlier this week, we reported that the Nevada Gaming Control Board was joining the wide-ranging and ongoing federal investigation that led to Sibella filing a guilty plea on money laundering charges in January.
Then, on May 1, the regulator announced it was filing its own complaint against Sibella. It’s one that could see him lose his Nevada Gaming license and be fined up to $750,000.
He is awaiting sentencing on the existing charges after admitting allowing illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix to pay off a $120,000 gambling debt in cash without officially questioning the source of the income.
The investigation also uncovered links between the alleged $16 million theft from baseball star Shohei Ohtani and Resorts World, of which Sibella was also President between 2021 and 2022.
Sibella’s Charges
The NGCB complaint against Sibella relates to his time in charge of the MGM Grand, mostly in 2018.
Sibella is accused of letting Nix deposit hundreds of thousands of dollars on several occasions over that year, despite being suspicious of the source of his client’s income.
On some of those occasions, Nix visited the MGM Grand with a specific invite from Sibella. That included several parties themed around the then-MGM exec’s appearance on reality TV show Undercover Boss.
“Sibella failed to comply with MGM Resorts International’s anti-money laundering policy and failed to comply with MGM Grand’s internal controls that required Sibella to report suspicious activities regarding Nix,” the control board wrote in the complaint.
If found guilty of these charges, his Nevada Gaming license is likely to be revoked, and he could face a fine up to $750,000. In the separate federal case against him, which also saw charges for Nix, Sibella will be sentenced next week on May 8.
In that case, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. But because of his plea bargain, he is more likely to be handed a large fine and a suspended sentence.
Interestingly, the NGCB looked into Sibella’s connections to another convicted illegal bookmaker and a Resorts World taco stand in early 2023. On that occasion, Sibella was cleared of all wrongdoing by the regulator.
Bookmaking Connections
On top of the charges from the feds and the NGCB, it is very possible that Sibella could face further legal trouble as part of the investigation into alleged illegal bookmaker and huge sports bettor Matt Bowyer.
Bowyer hit the headlines earlier this year after he was reported as the bookmaker in the Shohei Ohtani case.
Former translator Ippei Mizuhara is accused of stealing some $16 million from Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Ohtani. He spent most of it paying back gambling debts to Bowyer.
New reports emerged this week that Bowyer, an apparently prolific gambler on his own part, may have used Las Vegas casinos to launder money from his bookmaking operation. One of which was Resorts World during the time Scott Sibella was the boss.
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.
