Resorts World Faces Major Fines By NGCB for Violating AML Laws

Nevada Gaming Control Board has submitted a “12-count disciplinary complaint file” against “Resorts World Las Vegas” owners and workers for being guilty of failing to comply with federal Anti-money laundering (AML) Laws and regulations on 15 August 2024.

For more than a year, Resorts World has allowed betting of millions of dollars to illegal gamblers at the strip.

Names Involved

Casino Resort and Genting Berhad

Nevada Gaming Control Board reported in a 31 page complaint file about two names Casino Resort and Genting Berhad which is Malaysia-based and the parent company of Resort World on Thursday.

• Scott Sibellawas

Former President of Resorts World Las Vegas Scott Sibellawas was terminated in September 2023 due to being involved in money laundering.

He admitted to breaching the Bank Secrecy Act during his working period and accepting a federal charge in May.

He was not imprisoned because of his acceptance and only got probation. Moreover, his name was not highlighted in the current compliant file.

•  Mathew Bowyer

Another name mentioned in the complaint report was Mathew Bowyer who is famous for his reputation as an illegal bookmaker. 

He has been accused of running illegal gambling businesses and he has accepted the accusation of money laundering at the start of this month.

His other illegal activity was submitting a fake tax return. Regulators investigated Bowyer’s business and stated he had not provided documentation about the origin of the funds and was involved in illegally gambling millions of dollars.

He has admitted to taking money for betting in casinos from famous baseball player Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter.

• Edwin Ting and Chad Iwamoto

The complaint file mentioned two other names  Edwin Ting and Chad Iwamoto who were involved in multiple gambling-related crimes in federal court.

Ting has been linked with criminals and helped them to organize financial crimes.

What Led to this Compliant File?

Gaming regulators reported that owners of casinos pressured their employees to  “generate revenue” if they wanted to earn extra pay or bonuses even if their bounces were linked directly to the profitability of the resort.

• Failure to AML committee

Even resorts had an anti-money laundering (AML) program and had a compliance committee for the implantation of AML regulations and laws, monitoring and reporting suspicious activities.

The AML committee of Resort World Las Vegas in July 2022 “first evaluated Bowyer,” and found he had deposited funds worth more than  $2.5 million in gambling.

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According to the Control Board investigation report, Resorts World Despite having these services, still was “unable to confirm the SOF (source of funds)”  and took action against Bowyer.

Role of Nicole Bowyer

Nicole Bowyer, who married Mathew Bowyer, is alleged to be engaged in an agreement to bring customers to the Resort World. A complaint file has been submitted against her for being an independent agent.

She has been allowed to share profits from her husband’s gambling activities. Thus she has been violating AML regulations and rejected cooperating with the Control Board.

Response from Resort World

A spokesperson of the communication firm released a statement on behalf of Resorts World that the gaming establishment has awareness about complaints and to resolve the issues they have been “actively communicating with the GCB to resolve these issues so we can move forward and focus on our guests and nearly 5,000 team members.”

Previous Penalties of Nevada

The biggest fine in Nevada’s history was $20 million in February 2019 paid by Wynn Resorts to solve a case involving 10 serious accusations. 

As per a report, Former chairman, Steve Wynn has alleged that he sexually harassed and treated the female employees badly. In July 2023, State Regulators imposed a fine of $10 million on “Wynn”.