Las Vegas High Roller Uses Resorts World Billboard in Petty Beef with Wynn

Article ByDavid Weir

August 8, 2023

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Posted in: Nevada Gambling News, US Gambling Crime News

A high-stakes gambler’s tantrum has led to an extraordinary public relations disaster for a major Las Vegas Strip casino.

The incident ended in an offensive message about a Wynn Resorts employee posted on the absolutely huge building-sized screen on Resorts World Las Vegas (pictured), as well as a whole lot of bad publicity for the casino.

The news comes after a bad week for Resorts World higher-ups. Late last week, we reported on potential allegations staff may have been involved with a recently busted illegal California sports betting operation.

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Ben’s House

The incident began when a high stakes gambler at Wynn, named by sources as Ben Ralph, decided he wanted to party at the Wynn XS Nightclub.

However, upon his group arriving, he was informed that the club wouldn’t open for another hour. Ralph demanded that the club open early just for him. When nightclub manager Niko Samarxhiu refused, an argument ensued.

Ralph allegedly threatened Samarxhiu and his family, resulting in a lifetime ban from Wynn and a visit from the Las Vegas police.

Rather than retreating, Ralph crossed the Strip to Zouk, the nightclub at Wynn’s competitor, Resorts World. There, he reportedly spent more than $200,000 on drinks and table packages.

One of the perks of these packages was the ability to display brief messages on the massive video screen on the side of Resorts World.

Ralph’s first message, “BEN’S HOUSE,” seemed harmless enough. However, his second message, as posted by Vital Vegas on X, said “FOOD STAMPS FOR NIKO.” This was both politically charged and offensively aimed at a specific person.

Resorts World took the message down and apologized to Samarxhiu.

However, the damage had already been done. Once the offensive message appeared on social media, the incident gained widespread attention. Roeben’s tweets about the incident alone generated more than 1.5 million impressions.

It later emerged that the alleged message poster, Ralph, had also posted a series of offensive messages on his Instagram, including calling Samarxhiu a “broke ass immigrant.”

The Fallout and Consequences

The fallout from this incident has been significant. It’s not just a matter of changing policy or issuing public apologies for Resorts World at this point.

The expectation is that there will be serious consequences for those involved in allowing the message and any potential lack of guidelines.

As for Ralph, sources suggest he’s now also banned from Resorts World’s Zouk and possibly from other popular Tao Group destinations like Omnia and legendary eatery Hakkasan.