Nevada Gaming Control Board member George Assad said Resorts World Las Vegas would have avoided a $10.5 fine for catering to an illegal bookmaker if the property had had a Board of Directors in place.
Assad made his comments when the Gaming Control Board unanimously recommended that the Nevada Gaming Commission on Jan. 29 license Michelle Ditondo as a member of the one-year-old Resorts World Board of Directors.
The hearing last week came the same day the Board recommended former Resorts World Las Vegas patron, Matthew Bowyer, be entered into the state’s Black Book of people excluded from casinos. Bowyer pleaded guilty in federal court in September 2024 to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return. He was sentenced in August to 12 months in prison and began serving it in October, with an estimated release in August followed by two years of supervision. The southern California resident operated an illegal gambling business for at least five years until October 2023 and at times had more than 700 bettors, including Ippei Mizuhara, the Japanese interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Bowyer’s activities resulted in a $7.8 million for Caesars Entertainment for failing to ban him. Resorts World was fined $10.5 million, accused of a culture that welcomed individuals, including Bowyer, with suspected ties to illegal bookmaking.
Assad told Ditondo that had there been a Board of Directors, which wasn’t formed until late 2024, and someone like current head of compliance Jennifer Roberts in place there wouldn’t have been a fine at Resorts World.
“Matthew Bowyer would have been banned early on as he should have been. I’m glad to see the Board in place now,” Assad said. “It’s a better corporate structure. The problem was Genting Berhad and Genting Malaysia had no idea what was going on here. There was that gap in the chain of command. There was no direct link in what was going on on the floor of the casino in terms of folks in compliance making a decision to ban Matthew Bowyer.”
Assad went on to detail that Bowyer was playing blackjack and conducting his bookmaking business at the same time. He called a time out to the dealer with the pit boss watching and to get and count cash from a losing sports bet, then start playing again.
“That’s how ridiculous that whole situation was,” Assad said. “If that was going on on the casino floor and the Board was in place to oversee such ridiculous activity, Matthew Bowyer would have been banned right then and there. I’m glad we have a Board in place there. It’s a fabulous property and has a great team in place.”
Ditondo started her career in gaming as vice president of human resources at Caesars Entertainment before moving to MGM Resorts International, where she was vice president in a similar role at New York-New York and Mandalay Bay. She was ultimately promoted to chief human resources officer for MGM Resorts. She later left the gaming industry and served as a principal for Avion Consulting as an executive coach. Ditondo joined Resorts World in December 2024.
The Resorts World Board provides guidance on strategic issues, including business performance, financial investment, capital expenditures, acquisitions, divestitures, partnerships, and compliance.
“You’re very well qualified for the role and bring a unique perspective to the Board that makes it a lot stronger,” said Gaming Control Board Chair Mike Dreitzer.
