Resorts World Las Vegas names fresh leadership following NGCB inquiry.

As Resorts World Las Vegas gets ready for the next round of a money laundering inquiry by Nevada authorities, it has named a new CEO and assembled a new board of directors.
resorts all over Las Vegas construction
On December 5, both announcements came through via press release. Jim Murren, long-standing chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts, will chair the newly formed board. Murren also presently sits on the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Among other board members will be:

Michelle DiTondo, principal of Avion Consulting; AG Burnett, partner at McDonald Carano and former Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) chairman; and Kong Han Tan, president and COO of Resorts World parent firm Genting Berhad.
Apart from the board, Resorts World appointed Alex Dixon as its new CEO. Native of Las Vegas, Dixon most recently oversaw the Dubuque Racing Association in Dubuque, Iowa and Q Casino & Resort.

Murren, Dixon, and DiTondo all have ties to MGM Resorts; they worked there concurrently in the late 2010s. On December 4, the board members took their places; Dixon is scheduled to start his term on January 16. According to Genting CEO Kok Thay Lim in the statement, he is sure the new leadership "will help drive the company forward in pursuing our strategic goals for years to come".

Resorts World reported EBITDA of $16 million and Q3 revenue of $177 million (£139 million/€ 167.6 million). From the preceding quarter, respectively, such totals were declines of 18% and 68%.

Announcement arrives days before the NGCB reply due
For Resorts World, the incoming new leaders arrive at a critical junctur. The NGCB has 12-count complaints against the casino, which is entangled in a money laundering crisis. A formal reply is required by December 9 at least.

Originally submitted on August 15, the 31-page complaint claims Resorts World encouraged "individuals with suspected and actual ties to illegal bookmaking" and organised crime. This, the board declared, reflected a "total lack of control".

The board has thus advised that the Nevada Gaming Commission act formally against the property. This could be achieved via penalties, licensing suspensions, or state monitoring the property.

Bowyer, Sibella participated in controversy.
Mathew Bowyer, an unlicensed bookie based out of California who gambled millions at Resorts World since it debuted in 2021, is one person at the core of the story. Bowyer acted on behalf of Ippei Mizuhara, the former MLB standout Shohei Ohtani's interpreter.

Currently awaiting sentence for theft of around $17 million from Ohtani to settle debts to Bowyer, Mizuhara laundered the money through accounts at Resorts World and California's Pechanga Resort Casino. Bowyer's wife Nicole was also employed by Resorts World to serve as his personal host. He is due for sentence on April 4, 2025 and may spend up to 18 years in prison.

Scott Sibella, who presided over Resorts World from 2019 to 2023 as president and COO, is another important player. Following reports that the property was under investigation, he was let go in September for breaking corporate rules.

May saw him enter a guilty plea to anti-money laundering (AML) breaches resulting from his presidency of MGM Grand. He paid $9,500 and was sentenced to one year of probation. At MGM Grand, he allegedly let another well-known illicit bookie, Wayne Nix, pay a $120,000 marker in cash without reporting a suspicious transaction.

Murren was still employed at MGM when Sibella's behaviour came to light. The Nevada Current claims that Murren first learnt about these accusations in 2019. Resorts World refrained to comment on the relationship.