\n Posted on: January 14, 2026, 11:09h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: January 14, 2026, 11:38h.\n <\/p>\n
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- The Nevada Gaming Control Board nominated convicted illegal bookie Mathew Bowyer to the state\u2019s permanent Black Book exclusion list on Wednesday<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Bowyer\u2019s gambling ring, linked to Shohei Ohtani\u2019s interpreter, triggered $26.8 million in Las Vegas casino money-laundering fines in 2025<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
- If approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, Bowyer faces a lifetime ban from all Nevada casinos\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) on Wednesday nominated Mathew Bowyer to the state\u2019s List of Excluded Persons \u2014 the notorious \u201cBlack Book\u201d of individuals permanently banned from all Nevada casinos. Bowyer is the convicted illegal bookmaker whose gambling at Resorts World and various MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment properties cost Las Vegas casino operators $26.8 million in money-laundering fines last year.<\/p>\n
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Mathew Bowyer, 50, began serving a one-year prison sentence in October 2025. (Image: Facebook\/Mathew Bowyer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Nevada Gaming Commission has the final say on whether Bowyer gets added to the Black Book, which currently contains 37 names. However, at least concerning Black Book matters, the Commission nearly always approves a nomination made by the NGCB.<\/p>\n
Bowyer, now serving more than a year in federal prison, became eligible for nomination after pleading guilty in 2023 to running a sprawling illegal gambling ring, laundering money, and filing a false tax return. He has the right to a hearing to refute the accusations against him.<\/p>\n
Bowyer is scheduled to be released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, Calif. on August 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
A Dishonor Just to be Nominated<\/h2>\n
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Shohei Ohtani speaks with his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, prior to being introduced by the LA Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on December 14, 2023. (Image: Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Bowyer\u2019s illegal gambling empire handled wagers from roughly 700 bettors \u2014 most famously including Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. (Mizuhara was sentenced in February to four years in prison for stealing $17 million from Ohtani to cover his debts.)<\/p>\n
In 2025, Bowyer\u2019s activities were cited in disciplinary cases that resulted in a $10.5 million fine against Resorts World, an $8.5 million fine against MGM Resorts International, and a $7.8 million fine against Caesars Entertainment.<\/p>\n
At Wednesday\u2019s hearing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal,<\/a> <\/em>NGCB chair Mike Dreitzer said it was important to make an example of Bowyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally, I wouldn\u2019t give much airtime to this particular individual in this particular setting,\u201d Dreitzer said, according to the R-J.<\/em> \u201cHowever, I think it\u2019s important to note that today the board takes an action that goes to the very core and the heart of Nevada\u2019s gaming regulatory mission \u2014 the protection of integrity of gaming, the confidence of the public, and the reputation of the state as a gold standard for gaming regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dreitzer emphasized that exclusion is rare and reserved for cases where allowing someone into casinos would \u201cerode public confidence\u201d or \u201ctarnish the reputation Nevada has spent decades building.\u201d Bowyer, he said, exemplifies why the Black Book exists.<\/p>\n
Bowyer is the second person nominated to the Black Book in only two months. In December, the NGCB unanimously recommended to exclude Wayne Nix,<\/a> the former minor\u2011league baseball player-turned- illegal bookie whose operations led to the downfall of Resorts World President and COO\u00a0Scott Sibella<\/strong><\/a>. Nix pleaded guilty in 2022 to operating an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return.<\/p>\n
The Nevada Gaming Commission last added someone to the list in April 2024. It was Neal Ahmad Hearne,<\/a> 45, of North Las Vegas, who was twice-convicted of felony theft for grabbing casino chips off blackjack tables and fleeing \u2014 once at Aria in 2018 (attempted theft) and again at Silverton (theft).<\/p>\n
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- Bowyer\u2019s gambling ring, linked to Shohei Ohtani\u2019s interpreter, triggered $26.8 million in Las Vegas casino money-laundering fines in 2025<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n