Las Vegas Sands pays Nevada regulators $2m to drop license violation claim

Casino operator Las Vegas Sands has agreed to pay Nevada regulators $2m to settle a complaint regarding its failure to abide by the terms of its gaming license.

Last month, Sands paid $9m to get the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to drop its probe into Sands’ funneling of millions of dollars to a Chinese consultant for extremely murky purposes. On Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) filed its own complaint against Sands over questionable transactions.

The NGCB issued a statement saying Sands was facing two counts of violating the terms of its Nevada gaming license. In addition to the Chinese consultant payments, the complaint also involves Sands’ 2013 non-prosecution deal with the US Department of Justice over Sands’ dealings with a casino high-roller who allegedly moonlighted as a methamphetamine supplier.

Despite having just filed its complaint on Wednesday, the NGCB said it had already reached a settlement under which Sands will pay a fine of $2m in exchange for neither admitting nor denying the NGCB’s allegations. The settlement needs to be confirmed by the Nevada Gaming Commission at its next meeting on May 19.