Nevada gaming regulators are moving to permanently shut the door on Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker tied to Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, after assessing his conduct this week.
On Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board voted to recommend that Bowyer be added to the state’s Black Book, which would ban him for life from entering any casino in Nevada.
Dreitzer: “I Normally Wouldn’t Give Much Air Time to This Individual”
The Nevada Gaming Commission will make the final call at its meeting in two weeks’ time. Regulators claim that Bowyer’s actions struck at the very heart of the state’s gaming system, leading to massive fines against both Resorts World Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment.
Board Chair Mike Dreitzer said the case goes beyond one individual.
“I normally wouldn’t give much airtime to this individual in this particular setting,” Dreitzer explained.
“However, I think it’s important to note that the Board is taking an action that goes to the core and heart of Nevada’s gaming regulatory mission, the protection of the integrity of gaming, the confidence of the public, and the reputation of the state as the gold standard of gaming regulation,” he went on.
Assad on Bowyer: He “Came Through Nevada Like a Vortex”
Board member George Assad was even more blunt about it, describing the way Bowyer operated openly in Las Vegas casinos while running an illegal bookmaking operation.
Assad said that Bowyer “came through Nevada like a vortex,” gambling at major properties and attempting to bribe casino hosts to send customers his way, fully aware that employees would lose their jobs if discovered.
Assad added that Bowyer was “responsible for so much worldwide negativity throughout the escapade he engaged in,” adding that he and fellow bookmaker Wayne Nix should never be allowed back into Nevada casinos.
“They will never be able again to enter a Nevada casino and engage in money laundering.”
Assad warned that the message extends beyond bookmakers to casino operators and executives, adding that regulators will no longer stop at fining casinos alone.
He also criticized Bowyer for capitalizing on the scandal after his conviction, including promoting a book and seeking a movie deal, while Ippei Mizuhara received a four-year prison sentence.
“The drug dealer gets a year, and the drug user gets four,” Assad said.
Bowyer pleaded guilty in September 2024 to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison and began serving his sentence in October.
Regulators stressed that placement in the Black Book is not an added criminal penalty. Instead, Dreitzer said, it is a regulatory judgment about whether someone’s conduct is compatible with Nevada’s standards of honesty and integrity.