Las Vegas Casinos Hit with $32.3 Million in AML Fines: A Brutal 2025 for Compliance
Four major Strip casinos — Resorts World, MGM, Wynn, and Caesars — were slapped with anti-money laundering fines totaling over $32 million. The regulators weren't playing around.
By The Degenerate Staff
If you thought 2025 was rough for Vegas tourism, wait until you hear about the regulatory beatdowns.
Four of the biggest names on the Las Vegas Strip — Resorts World Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment — were hit with anti-money laundering fines totaling $32.3 million this year. From a regulatory standpoint, 2025 was among the worst in Nevada's 94-year casino history.
The Quick Hit
- Total fines: $32.3 million across four Strip properties
- Biggest hit: Resorts World at $10.5 million (second-largest fine in Nevada history)
- The charge: Anti-money laundering compliance failures
- Why you should care: When the biggest casinos can't keep their house in order, it signals systemic problems
Resorts World Takes the Biggest L
Resorts World Las Vegas received a $10.5 million fine — the second-largest in Nevada gaming history. The only bigger fine was Station Casinos' $12 million penalty back in 2020.
For a property that opened in 2021 as the first new resort on the Strip in over a decade, this is an embarrassing headline. Resorts World was supposed to be the future of Las Vegas. Instead, they became a cautionary tale about what happens when compliance takes a back seat to growth.
The specifics of the violations weren't fully disclosed, but AML fines typically stem from failures to properly monitor suspicious transactions, report cash activities over $10,000, or maintain adequate customer due diligence records. In other words: the casinos either didn't catch dirty money moving through their systems, or they caught it and didn't report it properly.
Neither option looks good.
The Full Damage Report
Here's how the fines broke down across the four properties:
| Property | Fine Amount |
|---|---|
| Resorts World Las Vegas | $10.5 million |
| MGM Resorts International | ~$8 million |
| Wynn Resorts | ~$7 million |
| Caesars Entertainment | ~$6.8 million |
These aren't minor slaps on the wrist. For context, a $10 million fine represents real money even for a casino the size of Resorts World. It's not going to bankrupt anyone, but it's enough to sting — and more importantly, it signals to regulators that they need to keep watching.
Why This Matters Beyond the Strip
AML compliance isn't just a Vegas problem. It's a national issue that affects every casino, sportsbook, and gambling operation in the country.
The rise of legal sports betting has created an explosion of new money flowing through regulated channels. That's good for tax revenue and bad for compliance departments that are already stretched thin. Every new state that legalizes betting is another jurisdiction where operators need to track transactions, flag suspicious activity, and file reports.
When the biggest casinos in the world — the ones with the most resources and experience — can't stay compliant, it raises questions about everyone else. If Resorts World and MGM are getting fined, what's happening at smaller regional casinos that don't have dedicated AML teams?
The Tourism Angle
The fines come at a particularly bad time for Las Vegas. Tourism has been slumping, with the city struggling to maintain post-pandemic momentum. Visitor numbers are down, convention attendance has been inconsistent, and the casinos have been accused of "nickel-and-diming" customers with resort fees, parking charges, and reduced comps.
Now add regulatory headlines to the mix. Nobody wants to gamble at a casino that's in the news for compliance failures. It doesn't matter if the average player will never interact with the AML department — the optics are terrible.
Layoffs and Cost-Cutting
The regulatory pressure comes alongside broader cost-cutting across the Strip. Multiple casinos laid off staff in 2025, including valets, bell desk workers, and front-of-house employees at properties like Excalibur.
When you're simultaneously cutting staff and paying $32 million in fines, the math starts to look ugly. That money could have been used for employee retention, property improvements, or marketing. Instead, it went straight to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The Bottom Line
2025 was a wake-up call for Las Vegas. The combination of tourism declines, regulatory fines, and staffing cuts paints a picture of an industry under pressure.
The $32.3 million in AML penalties won't be the last. Regulators have signaled that they're taking compliance seriously, and casinos that don't adapt will continue to pay the price.
For degenerates, this doesn't change much. The slots still spin, the tables are still open, and the action continues. But behind the scenes, the casinos are dealing with problems that have nothing to do with luck — and everything to do with paperwork.