The Venetian and MGM Grand are among several casinos accused of turning a blind eye to sex trafficking operations being run on their properties. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Venetian among casinos accused

Multiple Las Vegas casinos have been named in a lawsuit which alleges they permitted sex trafficking operations on their property.

The lawsuit has been filed against a number of casinos including Mandalay Bay, The Venetian, and MGM Grand on behalf of an anonymous complainant, known as Tyla D., who was a victim of sex trafficking when just 14 years old in 2006. 

Filed by THE702FIRM Injury Attorneys and Hilton Parker LLC on behalf of Tyla, the action claims that the casinos violated both the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 and the Child Abuse Victims’ Rights Act of 1986.

Tyla didn’t look 18, let alone 21. She looked like what she was”

According to the filing, Tyla was forced by her traffickers to walk around the casino floors and gamble small amounts of money on slot machines while looking for customers, using a fake ID under the name of Naina Santiago. “Tyla didn’t look 18, let alone 21. She looked like what she was, a lost and frightened 14- (and eventually 15-) year-old girl, dressed up for sex appeal by an older man,” stated the complaint.

Claims casinos ignored crimes

Tyla managed to escape her traffickers after being arrested in 2007, but was forced back into sex work in casinos in 2013, when she was 21 years old. At this time, casinos had invested heavily in facial recognition technology, which the lawsuit alleges should have ensured that the casinos recognized Tyla, but elected to turn a blind eye instead.

complaint states that Tyla’s true purpose for being in the casino would have been obvious to customers

In addition, the lawsuit alleges that the casinos allowed Tyla to both enter their properties and gamble without performing any requisite ID checks. The complaint states that Tyla’s true purpose for being in the casino would have been obvious to customers, but that this was ignored by staff.

“The employees turned a blind eye to Tyla’s plight because to do otherwise would have inconvenienced the employees and potentially upset her clients,” continued the complaint.

Sex trafficking has been a persistent problem for casinos both in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the US. In December 2023, a couple staying at The Strat hotel in Vegas was arrested for trafficking a minor, while in February 2024 another couple was charged for the same offense in Missouri.

Casinos deny culpability

In response, the casinos have moved to deny any responsibility, insisting both that the case is beyond the statute of limitations, and that they did not participate in or benefit from the sex trafficking operation.

In a movement to dismiss the case, the defendants stated: “As proud supporters of non-profit organizations that help trafficking survivors in their recovery, Movants condemn human trafficking categorically, have the utmost sympathy for its victims, and are deeply dismayed by the allegation that this heinous crime may have unfolded at their properties.

“But on these facts alleged, Movants cannot, as a matter of law, be held legally responsible for the clandestine crimes of Tyla’s alleged traffickers or the many others that she claims were directly involved.”