LeForbes Sentencing Delayed to December in Resorts World Case
Sentencing for Damien LeForbes has been pushed to December 10. The professional poker player pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business and to money laundering. US District Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani set the new date at an October 15 hearing in Santa Ana, California. She also asked for more detail on what LeForbes actually did in the operation, and on the conditions that would come with any probation term.
On paper, the case is simple enough. LeForbes entered his plea in August 2024. Court documents put his wagers at roughly $148 million at a Las Vegas casino between 2022 and 2023. Nevada gaming regulators, working separately, documented losses of more than $10 million at Resorts World Las Vegas.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers have filed a joint recommendation that would keep him out of custody. Probation, plus four months of home confinement. The conditions: weekly Gamblers Anonymous meetings, continued individual therapy, complete abstinence from gambling, and 50 hours of community service in the first year.
Both sides call a custodial sentence disproportionate to his conduct. They cite his cooperation with authorities, his participation in counseling, and a history of earning a living through legitimate employment. Judge Almadani hasn't accepted the recommendation. She wants the record fleshed out first.
Two deadlines come with the scheduling order. Additional legal arguments are due by November 5. The assigned pretrial and probation officer must submit recommendations on possible sentencing conditions by November 19. Those filings will determine whether the noncustodial package survives as proposed.
The defense has drawn a comparison with illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, sentenced in August 2025 to 12 months and one day. Bowyer's operation reportedly handled hundreds of millions of dollars in bets and served more than 700 customers. LeForbes' operation is described as smaller. Its full extent hasn't been made public.
Questions have also been raised about Resorts World's anti-money laundering procedures. A complaint from the Nevada Gaming Control Board alleged that a casino host knew about LeForbes' illegal bookmaking but kept extending perks and promotional chips anyway. The host was accused, too, of steering a potential customer toward LeForbes' betting operation. Resorts World barred LeForbes in March 2024.
Then, in March 2025, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a $10.5 million settlement with the casino and its affiliated companies over anti-money laundering deficiencies involving LeForbes and Bowyer. The operator admitted no wrongdoing as part of that settlement.
Sentencing has slipped repeatedly since early 2025. Judge Almadani now has until December to weigh the additional filings and decide whether the proposed noncustodial sentence is appropriate. For LeForbes, the December 10 hearing settles one question: does he walk free, or face another punishment for his federal crimes?