MGM Resorts Agrees To $8.5 Million Fine With Nevada Regulators

MGM Resorts International agreed to pay an $8.5 million fine as part of an agreement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The fine comes after the company allowed illegal bookmakers to gamble millions of dollars and pay debts in cash at two of the company’s casinos on the Las Vegas Strip under the previous MGM Grand President Scott Sibella.

Nine NGCB counts against the company involved an illegal bookie and former minor league baseball player, Wayne Nix. Another count involved convicted illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer.

“The proposed settlement also details numerous remedial measures implemented at [MGM Resorts] and its subsidiary gaming properties,” NGCB Chairman Kirk Hendrick said in a letter outlining the agreement on Friday. “The majority of the conditions and recommendations focus on enhancements to [MGM’s anti-money laundering program] as well as additional training and awareness of [anti-money laundering] requirements.”

Investigation Discovered Bowyer Issues

Hendrick said that the board initially focused on Nix’s gambling at the properties, but Bowyer’s activities were uncovered during the investigation. MGM said the company cooperated fully with the probe and had implemented systems to prevent such scenarios from happening again.

“We’ve taken additional steps to strengthen safeguards, increase accountability, and reaffirm our commitment to doing what’s right for regulators, guests, and stakeholders,” the company noted in a statement.

Prosecutors alleged Nix visited the MGM Grand several times over three years and wagered up to $3 million and also gambled at The Cosmopolitan. Sibella never alerted federal officials as required under anti-money laundering laws. In 2022, Nix and several associates pleaded guilty to running the illegal operation and other crimes, including tax violations.

In March, the NGCB also agreed to a proposed settlement with Resorts World, which resulted in a $10.5 million fine paid to the regulatory body, the second-largest gaming fine in the state’s history. That came after an August complaint, and the property allegedly allowed Bowyer and another bookie, Damien LeForbes, to wager large sums of money at the property.

In 2023, Sibella was fired as Resorts World president, barred for five years from applying to work in the state’s gaming industry, and paid $10,000 to cover investigative costs. He later received probation for anti-money laundering violations.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

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