Damien LeForbes sentencing postponed to December in Resorts World gambling case

Professional poker player Damien LeForbes could still avoid jail after pleading guilty to running an illegal gambling business and money laundering. For PSPs, acquirers, and casino-risk teams, the useful part is not the poker drama; it is the way the case ties together gambling proceeds, casino comped benefits, and AML controls at Resorts World Las Vegas.

1. US District Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani moved LeForbes’ sentencing to December 10 after a hearing in Santa Ana, California, on October 15. She asked for more information on his role in the illegal betting operation and on the conditions that would apply if the court accepts a probation sentence.
2. The parties must file additional legal arguments by November 5, and the assigned pretrial and probation officer must submit recommendations on possible sentencing conditions by November 19. In other words, the court is still building the record before deciding whether this stays a probation case or becomes something harsher.
3. LeForbes pleaded guilty in August 2024 to operating an illegal gambling business and money laundering. Court documents say he placed bets totaling about $148 million at a Las Vegas casino from 2022 to 2023, and Nevada gaming regulators documented losses of more than $10 million at Resorts World Las Vegas.
4. Under the joint sentencing recommendation, LeForbes would receive probation with four months of home confinement. The proposed conditions also include weekly Gamblers Anonymous meetings, continued individual therapy, complete abstinence from gambling, and 50 hours of community service in his first year.
5. Defense lawyers and federal prosecutors say that outcome would be disproportionate to his conduct, pointing to his cooperation with authorities, his counseling participation, and his history of legitimate employment. The defense also pointed to the Mathew Bowyer case, where Bowyer was sentenced to 12 months and one day in August 2025 after an operation that reportedly handled hundreds of millions of dollars in bets and had over 700 customers.

The Resorts World angle matters because the Nevada Gaming Control Board complaint alleged that a casino host knew about LeForbes’ illegal bookmaking but continued to give him perks and promotional chips, and also pointed a potential customer to his betting operation. Resorts World prohibited LeForbes in March 2024, and in March 2025 the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a $10.5 million settlement with the casino and its affiliated companies over AML deficiencies involving LeForbes and Bowyer. The operator admitted no wrongdoing.