The Fontainebleau inquiry was revealed during a recent regulatory meeting in Nevada.

The Fontainebleau inquiry was revealed during a recent regulatory meeting in Nevada.

 It appears that Nevada AML investigations are occurring so regularly that state officials are unable to keep track of what has and has not been made public.

 The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is reportedly the most recent target of anti-money laundering controversies that seem to be spreading more and farther throughout southern Nevada.  During the Nevada Gaming Commission hearing last week, it was unintentionally disclosed that the casino is being investigated by the AML for credit approvals.

 The most recent addition to the Las Vegas Strip is Fontainebleau, which is owned by Jeffrey Soffer and Koch Real Estate Investments.  Before it opened in December 2023, it had been plagued by years of delays and had grown to a cost of $3.7 billion.  During a commission discussion over Maurice Wooden's license—he has been the resort's president since January 2024—it was revealed that it was the focus of an investigation.

 According to the Nevada Current, Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey once asked Wooden to inform her "about the issues that are currently going on at the Fontainebleau with respect to credit issuance."  "I'm not sure of any investigation as it relates to anything with AML," he said in response, according to the outlet.  Is there a certain thing?  I'm not certain.

 Since the knowledge that an inquiry was underway was allegedly confidential, that sparked a heated argument amongst officials.  The Gaming Commission and the Gaming Control Board are Nevada's two regulatory agencies.  The NGCB conducts investigations and provides the commission with recommendations for a final decision.  In attendance, NGCB Chair Kirk Hendrick requested that the conversation terminate right away.

 According to the Nevada Independent, Hendrick stated, "I don't want to go any deeper into this matter until the board has an opportunity to review it and, of course, speak with the licensee."  "The commission's possession of that material is not problematic."

 A request for comment on the probe on Tuesday was not immediately answered by the NGCB.

 LeForbes might have a connection.
 Notwithstanding the misunderstanding, Wooden's licence was unanimously granted, although for a restricted two-year period while the case is being handled.  Notably, the NGCB had suggested an unrestricted licence.  The Fontainebleau said in a statement that it was "pleased that Maurice Wooden was found suitable" and described the situation as a "ongoing audit."

 Statements made during the hearing suggest that the board learnt of cases where the casino's management refused credit to one or more patrons, only to have ownership overturn those rejections. However, no official information about the probe has been made public.  According to Stacy Michaels, an official at Fontainebleau, the board questioned three of the five player accounts that were audited.

 In January 2024, the casino allegedly handed out a $2 million marker to former professional poker player and criminal bookmaker Damien LeForbes, according to reports from the Current.  In recent months, he has contributed to further AML investigations in Las Vegas, such as those involving MGM Resorts and Resorts World Las Vegas.  LeForbes has ties to another bookmaker at the core of these scandals, Matt Bowyer.

 Last year, professional gambler and whistleblower RJ Cipriani said that LeForbes used proceeds from that credit to settle other obligations in the community before blowing through the marker itself.

 "GCB is looking into all the casinos that took DJ LeForbes' and Matt Bowyer's action," Cipriani told the Current last week.

 Faces that are familiar
 It seems like a very small world with the current wave of investigations into the Vegas gambling business.  Wooden is among many of the same criminals and casino executives whose identities have been somehow linked to several investigations.

 Wooden was president of Wynn Las Vegas from 2013 until 2018 before coming to Fontainebleau.  Wynn was penalised $5.5 million for AML offences pertaining to unauthorised money transfers during that same NGC hearing on Thursday.  The dates of those infractions somewhat coincided with Wooden's time working at the casino.

 During his licensing conversation last week, Wooden emphasised that "AML is one of the most important topics, if not the most important, we discuss in our leadership meetings."