MGM Resorts banned Nevada congressional candidate Bobby Khan from all of the company’s properties. His campaign believes the move came after Khan was highly critical of MGM and Caesars Entertainment on social media regarding the companies’ Las Vegas hotel and amenity pricing.
Khan appears to have a personal campaign against the rising costs of a trip to Las Vegas. He was convicted of fraudulent activity involving his auto dealership in 2022 and served two years in prison. He is now running as a Republican to unseat Rep. Dina Titus (D).
According to TMZ, MGM has threatened Khan with arrest and a potential fine or jail time if he visits an MGM casino.
Frequent Critic
Khan has been highly critical of rising prices and increasing fees in Las Vegas and regularly details those concerns in videos on Instagram, usually from inside a casino.
The congressional candidate also makes some of his videos and posts from “independent operators,” such as the Sahara, and lauds those properties for keeping prices well below some of the major operators on the Las Vegas Strip.
Lampooning MGM casinos appears to have been too much for the company, according to Khan. MGM hasn’t commented on the situation.
Khan isn’t the first person to earn a casino ban over criticism. Resorts World Las Vegas banned prominent Las Vegas-based social media influencer “Vegas Pauly C,” whose real name is Paul Contino, for repeated criticism of management. Casino executive eventually lifted the ban, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
On The Run To Running For Office
In 2014, Khan was charged with wire fraud for obtaining loans “for cars that he never delivered, but for which the purchaser was still responsible,” the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said. More than 75 people filed complaints in the case.
Khan and his family fled the country before his indictment and was on the run before finally turning himself in in 2020. At one time, he was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. He says he can bring a fresh perspective to politics, including helping those getting out of prison like himself.
“I would never in my wildest dreams think I was ever going to run for office,” he told the Las Vegas Sun. “It wasn’t until I witnessed how bad everything is that I decided to run. It was my past that led me to this. So why would I shy away from my past?”
The Nevada GOP primary is set for June 9. Khan is in a crowded field that includes seven other candidates.
MGM Sell Off
In recent years, MGM Resorts has sold many of the casinos it operates. In 2020, the company sold Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand for $4.6 billion under a deal that had MGM remain as operator. A year earlier, MGM sold the Bellagio for $5.1 billion in a similar deal.
Some in the industry believe companies selling off casino properties in Las Vegas has led to rising prices. MGM recently announced a shift to solar power for some casinos in Las Vegas to cut costs.
Sin City visitor numbers declined in 2025. That continued into January, as gaming revenue on the Strip fell 11%.
