Sports betting regulator cites Wynn, Resorts World Vegas scandals as concern over ongoing New York casino bids

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Recent betting scandals on The Strip could pose a potential obstacle to two major bidders – Wynn Resorts in Hudson Yards and Resorts World in Aqueduct, Queens – competing for highly coveted New York casino licenses, according to the head of the New York State Gaming Commission.

“I am particularly concerned that two of our… potential bidders for a new casino license have been accused of various violations in Las Vegas, said Brian O’Dwyer, chairman of the state Gaming Commission.

“These allegations are serious.”

Nevada-based Wynn Resorts, which with related companies plans to build a $12 billion gaming complex at Hudson Yards, agreed this month to spend more than $130 million to settle a federal investigation into unauthorized foreign money transfers to the Wynn casino in Las Vegas. Vegas.

“This settlement is believed to be the largest casino confiscation based on a criminal confession,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

A Justice Department investigation found that the casino was linked to “an unlicensed agent using offshore bank accounts to transfer money to China and other countries to customers who do not qualify for access to cash in the United States,” O’Dwyer said.

Wynn, however, downplayed the settlement.

“Wynn Las Vegas’s settlement with the Department of Justice regarding the former employees’ actions dating back many years did not result in a fine or any charges against the Company,” a Wynn spokesperson told The Post.

Meanwhile, Resorts World Las Vegas – owned by Malaysian group Genting – alleged in an August complaint filed with the Nevada Gaming Control Board that it violated anti-money laundering laws by doing business with illegal bookmakers.

O’Dwyer said illegal bookmakers – including one owned by disgraced MLB sensation Shohei Ohtani – may have been playing for millions of dollars.

“These allegations in the complaint are particularly disturbing because they are based on a culture of non-compliance in which information about illegal or suspicious activity has either been negligently, or worse, completely disregarded for financial gain,” the chairman said committee.

Some of the allegations against Resorts involved Mathew Bowyer, a Southern California bookmaker who accepted thousands of sports bets from Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former translator.

Last month, Bowyer pleaded guilty to federal charges related to operating an illegal gambling business, laundering transaction proceeds and filing a false tax return. Mizuhara also pleaded guilty to tax fraud.

Last week, Resorts Las Vegas, in an apparent house-cleaning move, parted ways with two senior executives.

Resorts World New York City, which has operated a state-licensed electronic gaming arcade in Aqueduct for more than a decade, has tried to distance itself from the Vegas scandal.

“There is absolutely no separation between management positions at one company or the other because one has no say in what the other does,” a Resorts World New York City spokesman said in a statement.

O’Dwyer found the two scandals disturbing but not necessarily license disqualifying.

Still, he added, it is the commission’s responsibility to ensure that licensees demonstrate the “utmost integrity” and comply with New York gaming rules.

Another state gaming commission source told The Post that O’Dwyer raised the issue with both bidders to send the message that there are “no favorites” in the selection process.

“Nobody gets a free ride. Nobody has information from the inside,” the source said.

State gaming regulators are considering awarding up to three casino licenses in the New York region by the end of 2025.

The concerns could also be good news for casino competitors Las Vegas Sands, which wants to build a casino in Nassau County, and Mets owner Steve Cohen’s proposed casino project next to Citi Field in Queens.