MGM Agrees to $8.5M Fine for Letting Illegal Bookmakers Gamble

^{Big casinos in Las Vegas are still paying the price to clean up for the illegal actions of ousted exec Scott Sibella. (Image: Ty Oneil  AP)}

MGM Resorts International (MGMRI) has reached an agreement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) in which the casino firm will pay $8.5 million fine to settle a complaint over allowing two illegal bookmakers to bet on its gaming floors.

The settlement, announced by the NGCB on Friday, relates to a 10-count complaint that alleges that the two illegal bookmakers were allowed to gamble from 2015 through 2018 at both the MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

MGM Taking ‘Remedial Measures’ as Part of Settlement

The agreement will still have to be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which is expected to discuss that matter at its next meeting on Thursday, April 24.

According to a statement released Friday by the NGCB, the settlement requires additional actions by MGMRI in addition to payment of the fine to the state of Nevada.

“The proposed settlement also details numerous remedial measures implemented at MGMRI and its subsidiary gaming properties,” the statement reads. “The majority of the conditions and remediations focus on enhancements to MGMRI’s AML [anti-money laundering] program, as well as additional training and employee awareness of AML requirements.”

MGM Resorts also acknowledged the settlement in a statement.

“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 wrote.

Sibella Allowed Known Bookmakers to Gamble Millions at Casinos 

Scott Sibella (via KSNV)

The complaint that led to the settlement involves actions taken by former MGM President Scott Sibella, who pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act in 2024. In his plea agreement, Sibella acknowledged that he allowed former minor league baseball player and illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix to gamble at MGM properties from at least August 2017 through February 2019, despite knowing that he was running an unlicensed bookmaking business.

Nine of the ten counts in the complaint deal with Sibella’s actions related to Nix, including failing to report what he know of Nix’s illegal bookmaking to MGM’s compliance team and accepting repayment of gambling debts from Nix in cash. 

The other count relates to Sibella allowing Mathew Bowyer – another illegal bookmaker – to also gamble at MGM casinos.  Bowyer was the bookmaker embroiled in the Shohei Ohtani sports betting scandal, in which former Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay his gambling debts and other expenses.

The settlement is just the latest in a series of fines paid by Las Vegas casinos and their parent companies for the actions of Sibella and other executives who knowingly allowed Nix and Bowyer to gamble at their resorts. 

In 2024, MGM Resorts paid $7.45 in federal fines for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. In March 2025, Genting paid $10.5 million in fines to Nevada regulators for similar activities that took place while Sibella was president of Resorts World Las Vegas.

Sibella was given a year of probation and a $9,500 fine after pleading guilty in federal court, but avoided jail time. He was forfeited his Nevada gaming license, and was prohibited from reapplying for a license in the state until December 2028.