Resorts World whistleblower lawsuit alleges retaliation over suspicious gamblers

A former compliance director at a Strip megaresort is accusing the casino of firing him after he reported suspected money laundering and other suspicious activity involving a group of international gamblers.

Preston Banks filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Resorts World Las Vegas, alleging whistleblower retaliation under the Anti-Money Laundering Act and wrongful termination under Nevada law.

Banks, who previously spent about 16 years as a regulatory specialist for the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, worked at Resorts World from September 2022 until his termination on Sept. 29, 2025, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.

The lawsuit centers on what Banks calls the “Argentina Scheme,” a group of gamblers predominantly from Argentina that he alleges eventually grew to between 60 and 150 people from several countries. Resorts World records described in the lawsuit allegedly identified suspicious activity including unverified sources of funds, credit fraud, repeated third-party marker payments, chip passing, chip walking, minimal gaming and offsetting bets.

Resorts World has not yet responded to the complaint. The casino did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.

The megaresort agreed in March 2025 to pay a $10.5 million fine — the second-largest in Nevada gaming history — to settle a regulatory complaint involving anti-money laundering failures and gamblers with ties to illegal bookmaking.

The resort subsequently overhauled its executive leadership, created a new board of directors and a chief compliance officer position, and implemented stricter anti-money laundering protocols. Jennifer Roberts, who figures prominently in Banks’ lawsuit, was appointed chief compliance officer in April 2025 to oversee the resort’s regulatory compliance efforts.

The lawsuit alleges that Banks repeatedly raised concerns about the patrons and recommended increasingly stringent restrictions while casino officials sometimes delayed or minimized their response.

During one anti-money laundering committee meeting in the first half of 2025, Executive Vice President of Casino Operations Al Meranto allegedly characterized some of the patrons’ suspicious activities as “cultural,” according to the complaint.

Banks submitted a detailed report about the group to Roberts and other compliance personnel on Sept. 2, 2025.

Nine days later, Resorts World banned 28 patrons associated with alleged casino credit fraud and referred their accounts to the Clark County district attorney’s office for collection of approximately $12 million to $13 million in unpaid casino credit, according to the lawsuit.

Banks was fired 27 days after submitting his report.

During his termination meeting, Resorts World Human Resources Director Bob Napierala allegedly told Banks he was being fired because of the “Argentina Scheme” and that the decision came from the “C-suite,” according to the complaint.

Banks alleges he later learned that a copy of his report that Resorts World provided to the Nevada Gaming Control Board had been altered.

During a March meeting with gaming regulators, Banks allegedly identified several omissions from Resorts World’s version, including the “cultural” comment and information about an exception to a third-party payment policy that Banks says he opposed.

Banks filed a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor in December and subsequently submitted complaints to FinCEN and the U.S. Department of Justice.

His lawsuit seeks reinstatement or front pay, double back pay with interest, compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees and punitive damages.