Scott Sibella out as president of Resorts World Las Vegas

Scott Sibella, the president of Resorts World Las Vegas since before the Strip resort opened its doors in June 2021, has departed as the resort’s top officer for violating company policies.

Chief Financial Officer Peter LaVoie on Friday was named the new CEO for the 3,500-room resort operated by Malaysia-based Genting Berhad.

Sibella spent eight years as president of MGM Grand Las Vegas before joining Resorts World.

“Resorts World Las Vegas today (Friday) announced that President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Sibella has left the company, effective immediately,” an emailed statement from Resorts World said. “This action comes after the company was recently made aware that Mr. Sibella violated company policies and the terms of his employment.

“Peter LaVoie, most recently the company’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, will serve as president. Peter’s extensive experience and expertise make him the right person to lead Resorts World Las Vegas through this transition.”

It was unclear whether Sibella’s departure was related to a yearlong investigation by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Sibella was cleared by the Control Board of wrongdoing.

Regulators began reviewing information the Control Board received in April 2021 about allegations that Brandon Sattler, a customer who said he knew Sibella, made in a sworn deposition in a fraud litigation lawsuit.

Sattler connected Sibella to convicted bookmaker David Stroj, who violated terms of a three-year supervised release after he was sentenced in a 2018 federal case. Sattler said Stroj held an ownership position in Tacos El Cabron, a food outlet within Resorts World. Stroj’s father, at the time, was a manager at Tacos El Cabron, which closed later in the year.

If the allegations had been determined to be true, Sibella and Resorts World could have been subjected to disciplinary action for working with a convicted illegal gambler.

Resorts World self-reported Stroj’s possible connection to the restaurant earlier in 2022.

“When we were first notified that in a deposition these claims were made, we immediately reached out to the Gaming Control Board with the full understanding that they would want to look into this matter,” a spokeswoman for Resorts World said in an emailed statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal at the time.

In his time with Resorts World, Sibella helped connect the resort in a franchise agreement with Hilton Hotels Corp., which connected the Hilton Honors program and its vast database to the Las Vegas property.

Hilton brought its Hilton, Conrad and Crockfords brands to Resorts World.

Sibella also touted Resorts World as the Strip’s most sophisticated property for cashless gaming in his time with the company.

LaVoie, also a former MGM executive, spent 22 years in various financial roles with that company’s properties up and down the Strip.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.