Venetian Las Vegas Fined $7.2 Million for Dealings With Black Book Bookmaker Matthew Bowyer

The Venetian Las Vegas has agreed to pay a $7.2 million fine to Nevada gaming regulators over its dealings with convicted illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, making it the fifth Strip resort ensnared in money-laundering violations tied to Bowyer’s operation. The case is set to go before the Nevada Gaming Commission for a vote on July 23.

Bowyer, the bookie behind the now-infamous scandal involving imprisoned Los Angeles Dodgers interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, has already been added to Nevada’s Black Book, permanently excluding him from the state’s casinos. His illegal sportsbook operated for at least five years until October 2023 and at one point served more than 700 bettors.

A Pattern Across the Strip

The Venetian joins Resorts World Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts as properties fined over Bowyer-related conduct or similar violations in the past year, a combined total that now exceeds $39 million. Resorts World, MGM and Caesars were each cited for allowing Bowyer to play despite red flags, while Wynn’s penalty stemmed from unregistered international money transfers.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s complaint, Bowyer was a Venetian patron from 1999 until March 2024, when the property finally banned him after receiving reports identifying him as an illegal bookmaker. The board’s filing states the Venetian “failed to fulfill its obligations as a holder of privileged Nevada gaming approvals and caused damage to the reputation of the state of Nevada and Nevada’s gaming industry.”

Red Flags Ignored for Years

Court documents show that in 2019, when Bowyer sought to return to the Venetian after a two-year absence, a vice president of player development raised concerns about the source of his funds. The casino’s compliance department nonetheless cleared him to keep gambling. Bowyer represented his income as between $500,000 and $1 million, claiming ownership of a synthetic turf business, despite receiving a $1 million cashier’s check and racking up $22.3 million in wagers between 2019 and 2021 alone, losing $3.6 million to the property in that span.

The complaint also notes the Venetian’s history of federal compliance failures, including a $47.4 million forfeiture in 2013 for failing to file suspicious activity reports, which came with a separate $2 million fine at the time. The property was owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp. before its sale to Apollo Global Management in February 2022.

Bowyer pleaded guilty in August 2024 to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return. He was also a patron of Caesars from 2017 until January 2024, a relationship that ended only after the FBI executed a search warrant on his home.