The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has agreed to pay a $7.2-million fine over its dealings with convicted illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, according to 8NewsNow.
Key Takeaways
- Bowyer deposited about $22.3 million, wagered heavily and lost at least $3.6 million.
- Regulators said the casino failed to properly verify Bowyer's income and source of funds.
The proposed settlement covers four regulatory counts tied largely to activity between 2019 and 2021. Las Vegas Sands operated the property during that period. Apollo Global Management acquired The Venetian and Palazzo operations in February 2022 as part of a $6.25-billion transaction.
Under the purchase terms, Apollo assumed the operation's existing liabilities. The current Venetian operator, therefore, agreed to resolve violations that occurred primarily before it took control of the resort.
Regulators said Bowyer visited The Venetian 30 times during the three-year period. He deposited roughly $22.3 million at the casino, wagered millions, and lost at least $3.6 million.
A casino host knew by 2019 that Bowyer was involved in illegal bookmaking, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) complaint. The property nevertheless failed to complete sufficient checks into his income and the source of his gambling funds.
Those failures weakened the Venetian's anti-money laundering controls. Nevada casinos must understand the financial background of high-value customers and determine whether their reported income supports their level of play.
The Venetian banned Bowyer in March 2024 after receiving information about his illegal gambling operation. Nevada later added him to its list of excluded persons, commonly called the Black Book.
Bowyer pleaded guilty in 2024 to operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. The Nevada Gaming Commission is expected to consider the Venetian settlement at an August hearing.
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MGM, Caesars faced earlier penalties over bookmaker
The Venetian case follows two other Nevada enforcement actions involving Bowyer and failures to investigate suspicious casino funds.
MGM Resorts International agreed in April 2025 to an $8.5-million state fine. Regulators alleged that the company allowed Bowyer and illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix to gamble while failing to comply with anti-money laundering requirements.
MGM personnel had questioned Bowyer's income as early as 2015. In 2018, a customer warned company employees that Bowyer was operating an illegal bookmaking business and seeking MGM sportsbook customers.
The message reached casino marketing managers but was not passed to compliance executives. Bowyer continued gambling at MGM properties across roughly 300 separate days through September 2018.
Regulators also said Nix gambled at MGM casinos on 400 days. Casino employees provided incentives and encouraged his visits despite information linking his funds to illegal betting.
MGM had already paid $7.45 million under a federal non-prosecution agreement related to the scandal.
Caesars Entertainment later agreed to a separate $7.8-million fine in Nevada. Regulators said Caesars classified Bowyer as high risk in 2019 but did not adequately establish whether his income supported his gambling. He wagered and lost millions during roughly 100 gambling days at Caesars properties in Nevada and California.
The settlement also required Caesars to strengthen its anti-money laundering controls. The company neither admitted nor denied the allegations in the complaint.
