Two former Nevada gaming regulators on Thursday were licensed as managers and directors of Resorts World Las Vegas, a move the Nevada Gaming Commission hopes will boost anti-money-laundering compliance at the Strip resort.
Former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, who also served as attorney general and as a federal court judge in the state, currently is president of the University of Nevada, Reno, and former Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett, a partner in McDonald Carano’s gaming and administrative law practice, were unanimously approved for licensing.
Sandoval chaired the Gaming Commission from 1999 through 2001 and Burnett led the Control Board from 2012 to 2017.
Resorts World is counting on the solid reputations of Sandoval and Burnett to bolster the property’s AML compliance program after regulators fined the resort and its Genting Berhad parent company $10.5 million, the second highest fine ever assessed against a Nevada casino, in March 2025.
Two other Resorts World manager-directors, Keong Hui Lim and Kong Han Tan, also were licensed, but were excused from attending the hour-long Thursday hearing.
Commissioners questioned Sandoval and Burnett about their roles on the Resorts World board.
Sandoval said he frequently discusses AML compliance with Jennifer Roberts, the company’s chief compliance officer, making sure she has the resources necessary to do her job properly.
Commissioners said they are confident that Sandoval and Burnett would operate “beyond reproach” and that they would be “unwavering in doing what is right.”
But that wasn’t the case more than a year ago when the Control Board issued a 10-count, 27-page complaint against Resorts World for allowing illegal play.
“Despite having an AML (anti-money-laundering) program, and having apparently trained its employees, Resorts World allowed a culture to exist at its gaming establishment where individuals with suspected and actual ties to illegal bookmaking, with histories of federal felony convictions related to illegal gambling businesses are welcomed at Resorts World, provided comps, gifts and discounts in an effort to obtain their business and allowed to wager and lose substantial sums of money at Resorts World,” the initial Aug. 15 complaint said.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.