Title: New Top Dog at Resorts World Las Vegas: Jennifer Roberts, Compliance Chief
Newly-Appointed Compliance Chief Joins Resorts World Las Vegas Amidst Gambling Scandal Investigation
April 22, 2025, 03:25h , Last updated on: May 8, 2025, 08:51h.
Corey Levitan Read More | Commercial Gaming | Entertainment | Expert Insight | Las Vegas | Restaurants | Las Vegas Myths
Having weathered a stormy sea with the illegal bookmaking scandal, Resorts World Las Vegas emerges with Jennifer Roberts at the helm, tasked with ensuring the ship never sails those dangerous waters again.
This powerhouse gaming attorney, armed with vast experience and knowledge, has been appointed Resorts World's first Chief Compliance Officer. The new hire comes in the wake of a scandalous gambling ruckus that tarnished both the casino resort's and MGM Resorts' reputations, incurring exorbitant fines for both parties.
Roberts' role is twofold: managing Resorts World's regulatory compliance, registration, and responsible gaming, as announced by the casino resort. She has demonstrated an impressive career trajectory, previously serving as the Vice President and General Counsel at WynnBET. Roberts also runs the prestigious Roberts Gaming Law firm and holds teaching positions at UNLV's law school, where she once served as interim executive director for the International Center for Gaming Regulation.
Alex Dixon, the CEO of Resorts World Las Vegas, enthused, "Her unparalleled expertise in gaming law and understanding of the regulatory environment make Jennifer Roberts the ideal candidate to fortify our efforts to establish and uphold a first-class compliance program."
Beyond ensuring compliance with standard anti-money laundering laws, Roberts' focus will zero in on preventing violations faced by Resorts World from repeating themselves. This stems from accusations made by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 2024, which claimed that illegal bookmakers were, in fact, allowed to gamble at the property between 2022 and 2024—an allegation that led to the second-highest fine in Nevada history, amounting to $10.5 million.
Genting Group, the owner of Resorts World, finalized settlement negotiations for this fine last month. The wake of this scandal has resulted in a series of significant personnel changes for the casino resort, including the dismissal of former president and COO Scott Sibella in September 2023, as well as the departures of Doni Taube and Richard Corbett in September 2024. New leadership, in the forms of Dixon last December and Carlos Castro as both COO and CFO in February, followed shortly thereafter.
Thanks to Sibella’s unfortunate five-year gaming ban due to his involvement in the scandal surrounding high-profile bookmakers Mathew Bowyer and Ippei Mizuhara, the latter of whom interpreted for LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, MGM Resorts was also dragged into this morass. MGM Resorts agreed to pay its own substantial fine, totaling $8.5 million, last week to gaming regulators.
Prior to Roberts, compliance for Resorts World was overseen by Tonya Henderson, the VP of Compliance. Despite this shift, Henderson still lists her role within Resorts World on her LinkedIn profile. The fallout from this scandal not only cast a dark cloud over the industry, but it also underscores the endless importance of rigorous compliance and anti-money laundering regulations in the casino sector.
- In 2025, Jennifer Roberts took over as the Chief Compliance Officer at Resorts World Las Vegas, a role designed to prevent future illegal activities in the casino.
- With a career marked by roles such as Vice President and General Counsel at WynnBET and the head of her own gaming law firm, Roberts brings a wealth of experience to her new position.
- Roberts' appointment follows a gambling scandal that tarnished the reputation of Resorts World and its parent company, MGM Resorts, and resulted in hefty fines for both parties.
- In her role, Roberts will manage Resorts World's compliance, registration, and responsible gaming, aiming to ensure the casino operates within legal boundaries.
- The focus of Roberts' work will be on preventing the recurrence of the violations Resorts World faced, including accusations from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 2024.
- The scandal led to significant personnel changes at Resorts World, including the dismissal of former president and COO Scott Sibella in 2023, and the departures of Doni Taube and Richard Corbett in 2024.
- The casino industry is reminded of the importance of strict compliance and anti-money laundering regulations through the fallout of this scandal, with implications reaching beyond Resorts World and into the general news and crime-and-justice sectors.
