Bookie Wayne Nix Faces Possible Entry Into Nevada’s Black Book
Posted on: December 4, 2025, 11:28h.
Last updated on: December 4, 2025, 11:33h.
- Wayne Nix’s illegal betting op toppled casino leadership
- Regulators consider adding Nix to the state’s notorious Black Book
- Case exposed money laundering risks and failures in casino oversight
Wayne Nix, the former minor league baseball player turned illegal bookie whose operations led to the downfall of Resorts World President and COO Scott Sibella, could soon find himself blackballed from every casino in Nevada.
On Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) unanimously voted to nominate Nix for inclusion into Nevada’s infamous “Black Book” – a rogue’s gallery of mobsters, pimps, and cheaters who have made themselves persona non grata in the state’s casinos.
The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) will have the final say on the matter later this month. The commissioners tend to agree with their counterparts on the board.
Millions in Wagers
Nix, who pitched for Oakland Athletics farm teams, operated a multimillion-dollar illegal sportsbook in California that recruited other former MLB players as fellow bookies and counted wealthy professional athletes among its customers.
From at least 2014 to 2020, with the help of an offshore pay-per-head website, Nix took millions of dollars in bets, including one $5 million wager on the Super Bowl.
During this time, he regularly visited casinos in Las Vegas using the proceeds of his business to gamble and pay off casino markers. He also solicited new customers from casino VIP hosts and paid them a commission for referrals.
At the time, Sibella was the president of the MGM Grand, one of Nix’s haunts. Sibella was aware of Nix’s profession and that he was probably gambling with the proceeds of crime, according to federal prosecutors. Nevertheless, he allowed him to pay off casino markers with bundles of high-denomination bills.
Sibella later admitted to federal agents that he didn’t want to ask about the source of the funds because he knew he would have to stop Nix from gambling.
Sibella was fired by Resorts World in September 2023 for violating company policy. He pleaded guilty in January 2024 to a federal charge of violating the Bank Secrecy Act for his failure to file a suspicious transaction report and was sentenced to probation.
Guilty Plea
In April 2022, Nix pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and one count of submitting a false tax return. He still awaits sentencing.
“[…Nix] has brought so much negative publicity to the state of Nevada, he certainly qualifies for entry into the so-called Nevada Black Book,” Board member George Assad said.
[…] He wasn’t just here gambling, he was laundering money, which is a federal crime and something we definitely don’t want to see happen here in Nevada. I hope the commission will move forward appropriately and send a strong message to the federal government – [and] to anybody else thinking about doing these kinds of activities – that we’re not going to tolerate it in Nevada.”
Nix wasn’t present at the hearing, despite being invited to attend.
Chair Mike Dreitzer said the board would discuss whether to nominate another illegal bookie, Mathew Bowyer, at its January meeting. Bowyer took thousands of bets from Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, who was stealing from the MLB star to fuel his gambling addiction.
Bowyer was also a fixture at Las Vegas casinos and gambled millions at Resorts World.
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