Gambler Won't Fold in Suit Against Resorts World

^{RJ Cipriani has filed a lawsuit claiming Resorts World directed another patron to intimidate and harass him (Image: Alamy)}

High-stakes gambler Robert “RJ” Cipriani filed an appear in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday morning to challenge the dismissal of his lawsuit against Resorts World Las Vegas and its former president, Scott Sibella.

The lawsuit claimed that Resorts World had directed another patron to intimidate and harass Cipriani after he raised concerns over the casino allowing known felons to gamble on its premises. 

Du Dismissed Claims, Citing Lack of Evidence

In October, US District Court Judge Miranda M. Du dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, which means it currently cannot be refiled.

In her decision, Du found that Cipriani had failed to demonstrate how either Sibella individually or Resorts World as an organization were responsible for the actions of the gambler who harassed Cipriani – identified as former Las Vegas businessman Robert Alexander in court documents. Du found that there wasn’t enough to even suggest Cipriani’s claims might get stronger with additional evidence.

“Said otherwise, it is not as if the Court merely found some factual allegations lacking but the existing allegations suggest there are other facts out there that would make Cipriani’s claims plausible,” Du wrote in her decision.

The lawsuit stems from an incident on November 19, 2021. On that date, Cipriani had a public encounter with Alexander, taking the other gambler’s cell phone after being upset about being recorded without his consent. 

Cipriani was later charged with robbery and larceny. Those charges have since been dismissed. Cipriani was also accused of back betting – or betting on the hands of other players at the table – while playing blackjack on that same day. 

Referencing his handle on X, Cipriani said he hopes that the Court of Appeals will overturn Du’s decision, and vowed to keep fighting.

“As everyone knows, my moniker is Robin Hood 702, which means I don’t give up. I go after bad guys,” Cipriani said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “And I will not stop until Resorts World and Scott Sibella are exposed for all the dirty things they’ve done since the beginning.”

Resorts World, Sibella Accused of Allowing Illegal Bookmakers to Gamble

Sibella and Resorts World have already been exposed for plenty of misdeeds. Sibella was the president and COO of the property from 2019 through September 2023. Last year, Sibella was charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act during his previous tenure as president of the MGM Grand, where he admitted to failing to report suspicious transactions made by illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix.

In August, the Nevada Gaming Control Board issued a 12-count complaint against Resorts World Las Vegas, saying that it had allowed gambling by multiple individuals who acted as illegal bookmakers or had ties to organized crime. 

That included California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who took hundreds of millions in bets from former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly 'link_text_goes_here','CC - News - US - Article','50310','','','','gtm-content-internal-links'7 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar in order to cover his gambling debts to Bowyer. 

Resorts World, Sibella Accused of Allowing Illegal Bookmakers to Gamble

Sibella and Resorts World have already been exposed for plenty of misdeeds. Sibella was the president and COO of the property from 2019 through September 2023. Last year, Sibella was charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act during his previous tenure as president of the MGM Grand, where he admitted to failing to report suspicious transactions made by illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix.

In August, the Nevada Gaming Control Board issued a 12-count complaint against Resorts World Las Vegas, saying that it had allowed gambling by multiple individuals who acted as illegal bookmakers or had ties to organized crime. 

That included California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who took hundreds of millions in bets from former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly 'link_text_goes_here','CC - News - US - Article','50310','','','','gtm-content-internal-links'7 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar in order to cover his gambling debts to Bowyer.