Inside Gaming: High-roller’s case against Resorts World remanded back to court
An appeals court on Monday remanded a complaint against Resorts World Las Vegas back to U.S. District Court for analysis and reconsideration.
High-stakes gambler Robert “R.J.” Cipriani in October appealed to a Ninth Circuit panel a dismissal by District Judge Miranda Du of a lawsuit against Resorts World and its former president, Scott Sibella.
Cipriani, who goes by the X handle “RobinHood 702,” has been pressing his case for several years, arguing that the casino allowed another gambler in the casino to harass him for weeks.
In an appeal before Circuit Judges Mark Bennett, Gabriel Sanchez and Holly Thomas, the court concluded that “the District Court abused its discretion in applying judicial estoppel to Cipriani’s negligence, innkeeper liability and negligent supervision claims against Resorts World.”
Estoppel is a legal principle meant to stop people from taking inconsistent positions in court.
The panel affirmed the dismissal of Cipriani’s liability and negligence claims against Sibella.
Resorts World attorney Tamara Beatty Peterson said during an October hearing that Cipriani’s story shifted between filings, while the defense for Sibella argued he could not be held personally responsible under negligence or “innkeeper” liability laws.
It hasn’t been determined when the case will be reheard.
Delay on student betting policy
The NCAA has delayed implementation of a policy that would allow student athletes to bet on professional sports.
Last week, the organization put the brakes on an October plan to reverse its sports-betting ban.
The move came shortly after the Southeast Conference asked the NCAA to reinstate its ban.
Calling it “a major step in the wrong direction,” Southeast Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, in a letter to the association, said the policy reversal threatened the integrity of competition and exposes athletes to greater risks.
In his two-page letter to the NCAA, Sankey said allowing student athletes to gamble “normalizes behavior, blurs boundaries and erodes judgment.”
The association now plans to lift the ban on Nov. 22.
Macao results
Macao had its best gross gaming performance since October 2019 last month with total win of $3 billion (U.S.), a 15.9 percent improvement over a year ago, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported Sunday.
Analysts said the Chinese gaming enclave’s performance came despite a second typhoon in two months. Typhoon Matmo affected Southeast Asia Oct. 1-7, killing more than 39 people and resulting in $2.24 billion (U.S.) in damage in the Philippines, Macao, South China, Thailand and Vietnam.
For the first 10 months of 2025, Macao’s 51 casinos have produced $26.7 billion (U.S.) in gross revenue, an 8 percent increase over the same period in 2024.
Three Las Vegas-based companies are among the operators in Macao.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
