All four faced individual questioning from the NGCB, and board members voted unanimously to recommend licensure for the group. The quartet will go before the Nevada Gaming Commission 26 February. Fellow Resorts World board member Michelle DiTondo was approved last month.
Tan and Lim offered comment virtually from Singapore, while Sandoval and Burnett appeared in person and faced the majority of questions. The Nevada veterans will help spearhead the mammoth task of rebuilding a Strip asset with plenty of struggles.
Resorts World is about a year removed from a $10.5 million anti-money laundering fine related to AML shortcomings, the second-largest fine ever issued by Nevada regulators. The casino is also in a financial bind, affected by the AML scandal as well as general Las Vegas headwinds and a sluggish start since it opened in mid-2021 as the most expensive casino in Las Vegas’ history at $4.3 billion. Despite this, Genting has faith in the new board’s ability to turn things around.
“I think you can be completely confident with what is happening at that property,” Sandoval told regulators.
One of many past, present roles for Sandoval
For Sandoval, the role of Resorts World chair is not his most high-profile position. The Nevada native was previously a state Assemblyman, attorney general and chair of the gaming commission before serving as governor from 2011 to 2019. After his governorship, he became an executive at MGM Resorts before moving to his current role as president of the University of Nevada, Reno in 2020.
Sandoval was appointed to the Resorts World board last February before becoming chair in November. He was recruited to Resorts World by former MGM CEO Jim Murren, who also brought him to MGM in 2019. Murren was the original chair before stepping down to lead the UAE’s gaming regulator, naming Sandoval as his successor at RWLV.
The new title is one that requires frequent attention.
“As chair of the board I’m responsible for supporting the board’s work by advising and assisting in management matters as necessary, including corporate governance and compliance,” Sandoval told the NGCB.
The elevation to chair means he is “regularly” in communication with Resorts World board members and property staff, and he travels to Las Vegas “often” despite residing and working in Reno. The former governor said he works at all hours and frequently trades text messages with Resorts World President Carlos Castro.
“I’ve been able to manage it well and will continue to manage it well,” Sandoval said when asked about potential work conflicts. “If I felt in any way that it would undermine my ability to serve as chair or even a member of the board of this company, I would step away from it.”
The university declined to comment on Sandoval’s duties with Resorts World.
Many connections to Murren, MGM
Business prospects aside, regulators showed particular interest in Resorts World’s AML remediation progress. Sandoval said the casino has embraced “an absolute culture of compliance” in a “very short amount of time”.
Resorts World was one of three Las Vegas Strip entities to face AML fines in 2025 tied to the same individual, convicted bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. Its penalty exceeded fellow offenders MGM ($8.5 million) and Caesars ($7.8 million). Former Resorts World president Scott Sibella had his gaming licence revoked for his role in the scandal, in which the casino also hired Bowyer’s wife, Nicole, to be the bookie’s personal host. Bowyer is serving a one-year federal prison sentence in California.
Notably, MGM also paid $7.45 million in a 2024 non-prosecution agreement from a federal investigation related to Bowyer and another convicted bookie, Wayne Nix. Murren and Sibella were at MGM at the time of the misconduct, and Murren was alerted about potential issues as early as 2019. DiTondo and Castro also worked at MGM under Murren prior to joining Resorts World. Despite the connections, Sandoval is confident that the past is not indicative of what is to come.
“I think there was a very strong lesson to be learned, and I’ve been incredibly impressed with the amount of resources and investment that has been made in the compliance training as well,” Sandoval said Wednesday.
Former NGCB boss now helping Resorts World
Burnett is similarly familiar with Nevada gaming, having served as chair of the NGCB from 2012-2017 after being appointed by then-governor Sandoval. He remains the last NGCB chair to serve a full term since leaving the post, though current Chair Mike Dreitzer has indicated a willingness to serve an extended tenure.
In addition to their previous connections through the state, the two figures also share other ties. Burnett’s father and Sandoval’s older brother were business partners in the veterinary industry for many years. Burnett is currently a partner at McDonald Carano, one of the state’s most influential law firms.
“Obviously, I bring the regulatory side, in terms of how would regulators think about certain topics, how would regulators approach certain topics,” he said regarding his role at Resorts World. Like Sandoval, Burnett praised the casino’s AML changes, which he described as “a complete overhaul”.
“You can see that with the changes in management that have occurred, the creation and implementation of the board before you today and had before you last month, there is more active day-to-day oversight,” Burnett said.
There were several references to management changes at the casino, likely referring to Castro’s arrival as COO last February and quick promotion to president just a few months later. Castro replaced Alex Dixon, who served less than six months in the top role. Like Castro, DiTondo and Sandoval, Dixon previously worked at MGM under Murren.
Genting CEO: ‘I needed to hunt down Superman’
Tan and Lim emphasised contrition and atonement on behalf of the broader Genting group, which itself is embarking on a new chapter.
Tan took over as CEO of Genting last February from Lim’s father, Lim Kok Thay, who had held the post for more than 20 years. The company also recently won a coveted New York City casino licence for its Resorts World NYC racino, and that project will become one of the largest casinos in the US when fully built out.
Tan said he was shocked and dismayed by the Bowyer revelations, which showed him the importance of forming a property-level board to keep better tabs from across the world. He said Genting now plans to expand that framework to all of its properties, including in New York.
“I had jokingly spoken to the rest of my colleagues whereby it’s like setting up the Justice League, so to speak,” Tan said. “I needed to hunt down Superman, I needed to find Wonder Woman, and so on and so forth.”
Lim, broadly viewed as the eventual Genting successor, said the Las Vegas board now represents about 30% of his work duties. That said, he cautioned that the new-look casino is still far from having reached its final stage.
“I believe that we’re still in a period of stabilisation and have yet to mature into the full potential of what Resorts World Las Vegas can become,” Lim told the board.
Dingnews.com 16/02/2026