After nearly a year of investigation, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has announced that the accusations brought against Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) President Scott Sibella in April 2022 were unfounded.
Sibella had previously been accused under oath by Brandon Sattler, a notorious problem gambler, of having connections to convicted bookmaker David Stroj.
Sattler alleged that Stroj had an ownership stake in Tacos El Cabron, a restaurant that was originally inside of RWLV but has since been closed. Stroj’s father held a managerial position at the restaurant before it was closed.
“After a thorough investigation by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the allegations by Brandon Sattler against Resorts World and its president, Scott Sibella, were found to be unsubstantiated,” NGCB member George Assad announced February 27.
If the claims would have been found to be true, Sibella would have faced regulatory discipline, as Nevada law prohibits any relationship between operators and convicted illegal gamblers.
As soon as Sattler’s claims were made public, RWLV self-reported Stroj’s possible connection to the eatery, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal at the time, “When we were first notified that in a deposition these claims were made, we immediately reached out to the Gaming Control Board with the full understanding that they would want to look into this matter.”
Aside from the recent ruling, the property also reported that the fourth quarter of 2022 was its best since opening in June 2021.
Genting Berhad, RWLV’s parent company, said in a statement on its website that fourth-quarter revenues came in at $227 million. Its total for all of 2022 was $794.4 million, an increase of 120 percent year-over-year from 2021.
Hotel occupancy was 84 percent for the year—of the property’s 3,500 total rooms, 236 are operated by Crockfords, with the rest managed by Hilton Hotels Corp.
“During the [fourth]-quarter, Resorts World Las Vegas achieved record bests in casino revenue, hotel revenue and [food and beverage] revenue, all of which show positive movement towards future targeted projections,” Genting’s statement read in part.
The company attributed the success to the resurgence in travel volume, both from tourists and business conferences. It expects future growth as those rates approach and exceed pre-pandemic numbers.
