Resorts World Las Vegas, along with its former president and chief operating officer, Scott Sibella, are fighting back against a federal lawsuit filed by Robert “RJ” Cipriani. The legal team for Sibella and Resorts World has submitted a motion to a US District Court judge, urging the dismissal of the six-count lawsuit.

Resorts World Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Oversight of Illegal Gambling

Cipriani alleges that Sibella and Resorts World turned a blind eye to felons illegally gambling at the renowned Strip casino. In response, Sibella’s attorney, J. Colby Williams, argues that Cipriani has an exaggerated sense of importance on the global stage, reported The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Cipriani, who goes by the aliases ‘Robin Hood 702’ or ‘Robinhoodvegas,’ claims to be an avid gambler, activist, and philanthropist, self-anointed to cleanse the gaming floors of high-stakes gamblers he deems a threat.

Sibella departed Resorts World in September, cited for violating company policies and the terms of his employment agreement, according to the company. The motion to dismiss asserts that Cipriani’s claims lack substance and are driven by personal vendettas rather than factual evidence.

Resorts World Las Vegas is one of the most popular properties on the iconic Las Vegas Strip. Just last week the resort witnessed a surprising appearance of British royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during Katy Perry‘s concluding performance of the Play concert residency at the Resorts World Theatre. 

Cipriani Accuses Resorts World of Negligence and Conspiracy

Cipriani, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, accuses Resorts World and Sibella of negligence, civil conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He claims to have been a patron of the 3,500-room Strip resort since its grand opening in June 2021.

Tamara Peterson, attorney for Resorts World, contends that Cipriani exhibits a pattern of inappropriate and unlawful behavior in casinos across the United States, often resulting in his barring from numerous properties. Peterson dismisses Cipriani’s allegations as frivolous and predatory litigation.

In response, Cipriani’s California-based attorney, Marshall Cole, deems the motions to dismiss mere distractions. Cole argues that Resorts World and Sibella are attempting to divert attention from the core issues of the case by launching character attacks on Cipriani. He emphasizes that such attacks have no bearing on the merits of Cipriani’s claims and only underscore the defendants’ refusal to take responsibility for their actions.

Cole anticipates responding to the dismissal motions, and the court is expected to rule on these motions within a month. Notably, in February, the Nevada Gaming Control Board concluded a year-long investigation into allegations against Sibella, determining them to be unfounded. 

The post Resorts World and Former Executive Seek Dismissal in High-Stakes Legal Battle appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that several hotel-casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses them of price-fixing hotel room rates through a revenue management platform, Rainmaker. 

Tourists Sue Las Vegas Hotels for Alleged Antitrust Violations

In January, two tourists filed a lawsuit that accused hotel operators of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act and demanded that the defendants repay guests who overpaid. The lawsuit also alleged that Rainmaker unlawfully maximizes profits for its hotel operator users by designing rate recommendations through real-time pricing and supplying information from competitors on the platform. 

The hotels have dismissed these allegations, stating that there is no direct or circumstantial evidence that backs their allegations of conspiracy. The initial complaint did not identify who entered the conspiracy nor when it began. The hotels claimed that the complaint fails to articulate what the defendants agreed to and how the alleged conspiracy operates and instead speaks generally to algorithmic pricing. 

The plaintiffs’ law firm, Hagens Berman, released a statement that the motion to dismiss was expected, and they looked forward to continuing the case on behalf of the sizable class of those harmed by illegal pricing measures. Rainmaker, which is used by 90% of the hotels on the Strip, is accused in the lawsuit of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

The plaintiffs claim that Rainmaker’s proprietary software, Guestrev, analyzes real-time pricing and room supply information, then artificially suppresses supply, maximizing resort profits. According to the lawsuit, this artificially inflates hotel room prices, displacing normal competitive pricing and leading to increased room prices.

UNLV Professor Refutes Allegations of Las Vegas Price Fixing

In January, FOX5 reported that the plaintiffs claimed that if someone has rented a hotel room on the Strip on or after January 25, 2019, they may have overpaid due to this alleged illegal price-fixing scheme.

However, according to Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at UNLV, the current record high room revenue in Las Vegas is not because of price fixing. Belarmino stated that the biggest factor contributing to the high demand was the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs accused MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Treasure Island, and Wynn Resorts of using the Rainmaker software to unlawfully increase hotel room prices by collecting real-time pricing and supply information from competitors. However, Belarmino disagrees and argues that the sharing of pricing and capacity information through Rainmaker is not collusion, but rather competitive research. She believes that unless proprietary information was shared, the plaintiffs will have a hard time winning their case.

The post Las Vegas Hotels Seek Dismissal of Price-Fixing Lawsuit Involving Rainmaker appeared first on Keno Wizard.