Exhausting Rock Worldwide, which simply submitted a joint bid with Mets proprietor Steve Cohen for a license to function a on line casino subsequent to the workforce’s ballpark, suspended a prime government accused of participating in improper betting practices.
Exhausting Rock shelved Alex Pariente, its senior vice for resort and on line casino operations, after a whistleblower claimed he engaged in shady cash structuring practices with shoppers and allowed credit score markers to go unpaid at its on line casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The on line casino large suspended Pariente with out pay pending an investigation.
“Hard Rock International is aware of the allegations involving one of our executives and is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness. Honesty and integrity are core values of our organization, and we hold all team members—regardless of their role—to the highest ethical standards,” Exhausting Rock stated in a press release.
“Hard Rock does not tolerate any conduct that compromises the trust placed in us by our guests, partners, or team members. The employee in question has been suspended without pay pending an internal investigation into this matter.”
Paliente, a veteran of the gaming trade, had no speedy remark to a voice message.
The accusations had been first reported by on line casino.org.
Excessive stakes gambler RJ Cipriani is the whistleblower who notified Exhausting Rock brass of Paliente’s alleged actions.
Among the many misdeeds cited was an occasion through which an worker, at Pariente’s behest, took a $100,000 deposit from a Chinese language nationwide. To keep away from anti-money laundering rules, she broke up the sum into 33 separate $3,000 deposits, violating reporting necessities, in response to Cipriani.
“Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen reached out to me directly and is taking the matter very seriously,” Cipriani stated.
He instructed The Submit that the IRS prison unit and gaming regulators in Florida, Las Vegas and New York are conscious of the state of affairs.
Cipriani additionally stated two different Exhausting Rock workers who work with Paliente had been suspended as properly.
A Exhausting Rock rep declined to touch upon whether or not others had been suspended.
Exhausting Rock Worldwide is the gaming unit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which operates 18 casinos within the US, Canada and Punta Cana.
The timing of the scandal was an unwelcome growth for the $8 billion Cohen-Exhausting Metropolitan Park on line casino venture, although it’s unclear what affect, if any, it can have on the bid.
The state Gaming Fee, which can award as much as three gaming licenses within the New York Metropolis area by yr’s finish, declined to touch upon the Exhausting Rock state of affairs.
“The gaming facility evaluation process includes NYS Police-background investigations of companies, affiliates, and the principals of all the applicants,” a fee spokesman stated.
Exhausting Rock isn’t the one on line casino bidder pressured to deal with scandal.
Nevada gaming regulators in March imposed a $10.5 million nice towards the Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip over allegations of unlawful playing, many linked to a bookmaker with ties to the previous interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. It was the second highest nice issued by regulators there as a part of the settlement through which Resorts World and Genting neither admit nor deny the allegations.
The Vegas on line casino and Resorts World New York are each a part of the Genting Group empire — although they’re operated by separate corporations.
Resorts World, which operates a slots parlor subsequent to the Aqueduct monitor, submitted a bid for a on line casino license to supply dwell desk video games as a part of a $5.5 billion leisure advanced.
A number of the allegations towards Resorts World centered on Mathew Bowyer, the southern California bookmaker who took hundreds of sports activities bets from Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s ex-interpreter.
Bowyer pleaded responsible to federal prices of working an unlawful playing enterprise, transactional cash laundering and submitting a false tax return. Mizuhara additionally pleaded responsible to tax fraud.
The state Gaming Facility Location Board acquired eight bids final month, together with from Cohen-Exhausting Rock at Willets Level and Genting-Resorts World at Aqueduct.
Different bids embrace:
- The Avenir at eleventh Avenue and forty first Road on Manhattan’s West Facet, submitted by World Commerce Middle developer Larry Silverstein with Rush Road and Greenwood gaming operators.
- Caesars Palace Instances Sq. at 1515 Broadway, a Caesars partnership with developer SL Inexperienced and rap mogul Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
- Freedom Plaza at 686 First Ave. on Manhattan’s East Facet submitted by the Soloviev Group and Mohegan Solar.
- MGM Empire Metropolis at Yonkers Raceway, an current slots parlor, submitted a bid for a full on line casino license.
- Bally’s proposed New York On line casino at its Ferry Level golf course in The Bronx, a property lease acquired from President Trump’s agency, the Trump Group.
- The Coney alongside the Coney Island boardwalk, submitted by Thor Equities, Chickasaw Nation’s World Gaming Options, Saratoga On line casino Holdings, and Legends Hospitality Group.
