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A high-stakes gambler who is suing a Las Vegas casino and its former president has amended his lawsuit, Gambling 911 can reveal in an exclusive report!
Robert J. Cipriani, a blackjack player who lives in Los Angeles and goes by the initials R.J., last October sued Resorts World Las Vegas and its president and chief operating officer Scott Sibella in federal court, alleging the casino allowed felons to gamble, even after being warned about it by Cipriani.
The six-count lawsuit accuses Resorts World and Sibella of negligence, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Cipriani.
Sibella was fired by Resorts World last September, a month before the lawsuit was filed, for what the company described as “violating company policy and the terms of his employment agreement.”
Then in January, Sibella pleaded guilty to a federal charge of failing to report to federal officers about illegal gamblers playing at the MGM Grand casino in Vegas when he ran the casino in 2018.
He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for failing to file suspicious activities reports while employed at MGM to federal officials investigating the presence of illegal bookmakers in violation of anti-money-laundering laws.
The plea deal by Sibella caused Cipriani and his attorneys to last month amend his lawsuit.
According to the amended lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by Gambling 911, “Plaintiff Robert J. Cipriani respectfully moves this Court for leave to file a First Amended Complaint against Defendants Resorts World Las Vegas, LLC, Resorts World Las Vegas Hotels, LLC and Scott Sibella...Unbeknownst to Plaintiff’s counsel, on or about December 27, 2023, Sibella pled guilty to violating federal anti-money laundering laws by allowing a known criminal to gamble at MGM Grand while Sibella was MGM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. This is precisely the type of unlawful gambling practices that Plaintiff complained of while Sibella was at MGM and after he moved to RWLV. Sibella’s guilty plea, for which he is facing up to five years in prison, led to revelation of several additional facts/allegations that support Plaintiff’s claims at issue herein.”
Contacted by Gambling 911, Cipriani declined comment on the amended lawsuit.
A native of Philadelphia, Cipriani was described In a recent article in the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, as “a controversial figure in Las Vegas who has racked up a list of high-profile enemies in his self-styled crusades against alleged crime and corruption in Sin City.”
The newspaper noted that “as an FBI source operating under the code name 'Jackpot,' he was instrumental in the conviction of cocaine kingpin Owen Hanson in 2017.”
The operation resulted in the arrests of more than 800 people worldwide.
Cipriani, who uses the online moniker Robin Hood 702, details his exploits on his website www.robinhood702.com.
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911 Chief Correspondent
