A top executive at Resorts World Las Vegas has assured members of the Nevada Gaming Control Board that he believes the property’s regulatory compliance issues are behind it and that measures are in place for it to lead a resurgence on the north Strip.
Carlos Castro, president, secretary and treasurer of Resorts World, was recommended for licensing Thursday by the board in the second day of a two-day meeting. The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider final approval on March 26.
As Castro described his background and answered regulators’ questions, one board member encouraged him to use vacant land at the Strip property to build an arena for use by a likely National Basketball Association expansion team for Las Vegas.
“I think it would be fantastic for the north end of the Strip and for the entire city of Las Vegas and the state for that matter, to have an NBA team here,” Board member George Assad said in the hearing.
“And that venue could also be used for concerts and other things as well,” he said. “I saw in the paper the other day that (businessman and former Los Angeles Laker) Magic Johnson met with Gov. (Joe) Lombardo and he’s interested in moving forward with some type of ownership structure that would be able to bring an NBA team here. I hope Mr. (NBA Commissioner Adam) Silver is listening and watching and we definitely will support an NBA team.”
Potential arena sites
Castro did not comment on the prospects of an arena or team, but several other Southern Nevada companies have expressed interest in building an NBA-ready arena for the eventuality of a team being added.
Silver said last month that NBA owners would likely discuss the next step of the expansion process at March meetings. Las Vegas is on the short list of cities under consideration for expansion along with Seattle.
Oak View Group has expressed interest in building an NBA-ready arena, first proposing it at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road, then on land adjacent to the Rio.
Representatives of LVXP, a team of Las Vegas-based real estate professionals, hopes to build a 752-foot, 2,605-unit hotel and condominium project with an 18,000-seat arena and a 6,000-seat theater on land between the Sahara and Fontainebleau.
MGM Resorts International also has expressed interest in hosting a team at T-Mobile Arena that would be shared with the Vegas Golden Knights NHL hockey team.
Castro told regulators Resorts World has intensified its “know your customer” program to prevent attempted money-laundering by illegal gamblers. Castro and the Resorts World board, which includes former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and former Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett have given authority to Chief Compliance Officer Jennifer Roberts to prevent some customers from gambling at the property.
“They’re either placed on a gaming ban or if it’s an egregious due diligence process on information that we found, it’s a full property ban,” Castro said. “And Jennifer and her team, the compliance team, have full autonomy in that decision-making process. I know that’s been important to the board and that is what we’ve instituted. And there’s no questions.”
The Nevada Gaming Commission recently made former Minor League baseball player and illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix the 38th person placed on Nevada’s List of Excluded Persons and Mathew Bowyer, who was released from prison this week, has been nominated for inclusion on the list.
Both have been involved in money-laundering at three Las Vegas casinos, including Resorts World, which was fined $10.5 million in 2025 — the second highest fine ever assessed by Nevada regulators — for allowing illegal gamblers to play there.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
