MGM Resorts International has agreed to pay a fine of $8.5 million to Nevada regulators after a former gaming executive allowed illegal bookmakers to gamble millions of dollars and pay debts in cash at two of the company’s Strip properties.

The 10-count complaint and settlement regarding violations of the Bank Secrecy Act in 2018 by MGM’s former President Scott Sibella were filed by the Gaming Control Board on Thursday evening.

Nine of the counts in the Control Board’s complaint involved the gambling activities of convicted illegal bookmaker and former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix. The 10th count covered actions of a second convicted illegal bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer. 

In a Friday morning statement posted to the social media platform X, Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendrick wrote that the agency was focused on the activities surrounding Nix, but the gambling activities of Boyer were uncovered during its investigation.

“The proposed settlement also details numerous remedial measures implemented at [MGM Resorts] and its subsidiary gaming properties,” Hendrick wrote. “The majority of the conditions and recommendations focus on enhancements to [MGM Resorts’s anti-money laundering program] as well as additional training and awareness of [anti-money laundering] requirements.”

In an unsigned statement, MGM Resorts said the company “cooperated fully” with regulators in resolving the matter. MGM did not address the proposed fine, but said it has made investments in anti-money laundering programs, which include training and internal controls.

“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 said.

Nix and Bowyer were allowed to gamble millions of dollars during 2018 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, where Sibella was president, and at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The debts were paid in cash, which went unreported.

If the Nevada Gaming Commission accepts the agreement at its meeting next week in Las Vegas, the matter will close the books on the activities surrounding Sibella. 

Last month, operators of Resorts World Las Vegas agreed to pay a $10.5 million fine — the second largest in Nevada history — for similar events at the Strip property while Sibella was president.

Sibella, who was fired as Resorts World’s president in September 2023, agreed last year to being placed on the Nevada gaming agency’s “Gray List” of denied gaming applicants who were found unsuitable, which includes a five-year ban from applying to reenter the state’s gaming industry. Sibella paid a $10,000 penalty to cover investigative costs.

The settlement ends the state’s investigation into MGM Resorts as part of the Sibella matter. 

Last year, in an agreement with federal prosecutors, MGM Resorts agreed to pay a combined $7.45 million in federal fines for the actions of Sibella and other property executives and the failures of the company’s anti-money laundering compliance programs. 

Sibella pleaded guilty last year in a Los Angeles federal court for violating the Bank Secrecy Act in connection with the federal illegal bookmaking investigation from his time at MGM. Sibella avoided prison time but was placed on probation for a year and was fined $9,500.

Updated at 12:15 p.m. on 4/18/2025 with a statement from MGM Resorts.