Hard Rock Exec Alex Pariente Let Markers Go Unpaid, Took Bookies’ Action, Say Sources
Posted on: June 25, 2025, 04:00h.
Last updated on: June 30, 2025, 09:28h.
- Sources accuse Alex Pariente of allowing bookies to bet at Hard Rock Punta Cana, other casinos
- Asian whistleblower says the executive condoned structuring of money transfers, which is a violation of Dominican regulations
- Pariente is also accused of illegally holding the passports of patrons until they paid credit markers while allowing other markers to go unpaid
In a career spanning more than two decades in the casino gaming industry, Alex Pariente developed a reputation for being able to bring high-level players to his employers’ properties. Controversy often followed.
An Asian whistleblower speaking on the condition of anonymity to Casino.org said that on Monday, internal auditors from Hard Rock International — the tribal gaming giant that’s Pariente’s current employer — arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, noting the possible purpose of their trip could be to examine potential accounting irregularities and anti-money laundering violations caused by the executive’s actions.
Auditors typically visit gaming venues once every four to six months, and staffers at the property are apprised of those trips in advance. The source told Casino.org that the examination taking place at Punta Cana is a surprise and employees didn’t receive a heads-up. A request for comment to Tracey White, Hard Rock’s vice president of casino finance, wasn’t returned.
In a recorded conversation with an employee of the gaming venue provided to Casino.org by the whistleblower, the staffer noted that in 2023, a Chinese gambler came to the resort with $100K in cash wanting to deposit that money to play on credit in the casino. Given the amount of money and Hard Rock’s status as an operator beholden to US regulators, proof of funds was required to comply with anti-money laundering rules, but the patron didn’t have that proof.
In the recording, the employee details — a process that was allegedly performed with Pariente’s consent — that Hard Rock Punta Cana would allegedly skirt currency reporting protocols by using multiple transactions in small denominations to deposit the Chinese player’s funds. That’s known as money structuring and it’s prohibited under Dominican law.
In professional money structuring practices, meticulous planning and execution are crucial to avoid detection or suspicions of illegal activities,” according to the whistleblower. “Dividing a large sum into multiple transactions, such as in the case of sending $100K to banks, is a common method to prevent any red flags from being raised. By executing these transactions carefully, Hard Rock can ensure that the legitimacy of the funds remains intact, thereby avoiding any potential repercussions for the source of the money.”
Additionally, the patron arrived in the Caribbean from the US — his country of residence — and was known to have both American and Chinese passports, but the casino didn’t demand to see the US document, allowing him to deposit funds with his Chinese passport.
Problems at Punta Cana
The whistleblower detailed other examples of Pariente wielding influence at the Dominican gaming venue, including an accusation that the executive would knowingly allow high rollers with reputations for not paying their markers to wager at the property. That includes a trio of Brazilian “whales” — two of whom didn’t repay anything on markers totaling more than $1.9 million, and another who repaid roughly half of the $1.35 million in credit extended to him by the Punta Cana casino.
The source cited another example in which a Turkish customer was extended $1.7 million with Pariente’s knowledge, but that marker was never repaid though paperwork filed at the resort suggests otherwise.
That behavior wasn’t consistent because the source also mentioned an example of when a group of international gamblers came to Hard Rock Punta Cana and at the behest of Pariente, staff seized their passports, keeping the documents in the casino cage until credit lines were repaid. Under Dominican law, seizure of foreign nationals’ passports for that reason is illegal.
This practice isn’t in line with Hard Rock’s ethical and legal standards. Intentionally withholding passports to demand payment isn’t acceptable for any casino organization,” adds the whistleblower.
Another source also recounted examples of Pariente exerting influence over high-dollar baccarat and blackjack tournaments at Punta Cana, leveraging his role to get preferred players to the semi-finals and finals without playing the earlier rounds in anticipation of reaping behind-the-scenes financial rewards from those bettors.
Pariente’s Alleged Controversies Span Beyond DR
Pariente’s dalliances with the regulatory edge — and perhaps going beyond — predate his current role at Hard Rock. He held a high-level marketing role at Wynn Las Vegas and, during his stint at the Strip casino hotel, anti-money laundering rules were violated. That resulted in the Department of Justice (DOJ) last year levying a $130.13 million fine against the venue — the largest ever penalty applied to an individual casino.
R.J. Cipriani, also known as Robin Hood 702, told Casino.org that during Pariente’s time at the Dominican casino, the executive knowingly allowed black-market bookmakers, including Matt Bowyer, to wager at the property. Bowyer is the accused bookmaker who is linked with former MLB translator Ippei Mizuhara.
I knew about seven years ago when I first set foot into Hard Rock Punta Cana that it was a haven for illegal activity and nefarious players,” said Cipriani. “I personally witnessed people gambling there that I knew were criminals or illegal bookies, and some of those same people are currently in federal prison or awaiting federal sentencing. The ringleader, the guy in charge of all this, was a bigger criminal than any of those people and his name is Alex Pariante.”
In Cipriani’s opinion, Pariente’s situation is akin to that of former gaming executive Scott Sibella: white-collar management being complicit in misdeeds and getting no more than slaps on the wrist and moving on to other lucrative jobs while others pay steeper prices.
“It’s about time that crooked executives are prosecuted to the full extent of the law and if found guilty, put in jail for all this illegal activity,” said Cipriani. “If bookies are looking at jail time, why in God’s name aren’t the dirty executives that took their action and knew they were bookies?”
The assertion isn’t off base. Following his time at Wynn, Pariente was named executive vice president for international marketing at the Baha Mar Casino and Hotel in the Bahamas in September 2014. In February 2018, two higher-ups at the venue, one of which was Pariente, were fired following an internal investigation revealing improprieties involving two Colombian prostitutes.
A source with knowledge of the matter told Casino.org that Pariente’s purported penchant for financial chicanery continued at Baha Mar where he also allegedly knowingly allowed illegal bookmakers and other members of the underworld to gamble. The whistleblower told Casino.org that soon after Pariente joined Hard Rock Punta Cana, he hired several underlings from Baha Mar who were familiar with his modus operandi.
They include Kim Mackey who now serves as director of credit and collections at the Dominican casino. Employment data indicate she worked at Baha Mar from April 2017 to November 2020 — a time that included part of Pariente’s tenure at the casino resort.
Pariente May Have Violated Nevada Gaming Laws
In his current role as corporate senior vice president of casino and hotel operations at Hard Rock, Pariente is based in Florida, and while his title implies he’s tasked with delivering VIPs to the operator’s dozen US casinos, Cipriani and the whistleblower said the executive’s focus is Punta Cana where he rules with an iron fist.
Even with frequent travel between Florida and Punta Cana, Cipriani said that Pariente brought controversial players from his much-ballyhooed Rolodex to Las Vegas despite the possibility that he’s not licensed to do so.
Cipriani mentions an example in which Pariente allegedly brought high-end bettors for whom he had comp authority to the Mirage in 2023 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. If Pariente doesn’t hold a Nevada gaming license, the proper way of handling that situation would have been to steer those gamblers to a Hard Rock colleague with comp authority, but Cipriani says that’s not what happened.
Casino.org filed an information request with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) to verify Pariente’s status in the state, but they didn’t reply prior to publication of this article.
“The amazing part of the F1 story is that Bowyer was supposed to be there with family and friends, but his home was raided by the feds a month prior while Pariente hob-knobbed throughout Vegas when it should have been him that was under federal investigation,” adds Cipriani.
In December 2021, Hard Rock paid $1.075 billion for the operating rights to the Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip. The venue is currently closed and is scheduled to reopen in early 2027 bearing the Hard Rock name and styled in the form of the operator’s iconic guitar.
Last Comments ( 6 )
Kim Mackey is a person of outstanding honesty and integrity. Her reputation speaks for itself—she carries integrity with pride and has always conducted herself with the utmost respect and professionalism. To have her name mentioned in connection with anything foolish or inappropriate is both appalling and deeply unfair. Please understand that Kim deserves far better than to be involved in any such situation.
Alex has faults, but who are the people that hired him? I was there at Hard Rock when he joined the Coporate side, I was Corp. VP of PD There were stories on the Las Vegas Strip about Alex when he worked at Wynn I was surprised when he was hired with a big title And I will not mention the incompetent executive at the time that brought Alex on board and he’s still with the company and I think Alex answered directly to him on the Hard Rock International side of the business also It slipped right by the CEO and HR that blessed the hiring
It doesn't get any dirtier than this. Prosecute this criminal to the fullest extent of the law.
Kim mackey is a decent women...so why is her name in this nonsense again
I'm jealous of all the people who continue to fail upward.
FIRE THIS SCUMBAG! He's destroyed so many people's lives that worked for him. He should go to jail for all the money he stole!