Illegal bookmaker nominated to Nevada’s Black Book

The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday continued its crackdown on illegal gambling and money laundering in the state’s casinos, nominating convicted illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer to the List of Excluded Persons.

The list, also known as Nevada’s “black book,” currently includes 37 people banned from entering Nevada casinos.

It’s unclear when the Nevada Gaming Commission will consider its vote to exclude Bowyer, who is imprisoned in Lompoc, California, after in October starting a 12-month and one-day sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge John Holcomb in Santa Ana, California, in August. Regulations allow him to have a hearing to refute accusations.

Board member George Assad said it’s possible a hearing could occur by March and that Bowyer could be represented by an attorney, appear via video conference or, if California officials permit it, in person through an escorted release.

Assad noted that most list nominees don’t seek a hearing.

Deputy Attorney General Nona Lawrence on Wednesday said Bowyer is scheduled to be released from prison on Aug. 16.

Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker who collected millions of dollars taking sports bets from Los Angeles Dodger baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former translator and de facto manager, was sentenced Aug. 29 to 12 months and a day in prison.

Bowyer pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal charges of running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return. He took sports bets from an estimated 700 gamblers, including the translator Ippei Mizuhara, who was sentenced to four years in prison in February for stealing an estimated $17 million from Ohtani, a superstar designated hitter and pitcher for the Dodgers.

Bowyer received what was considered a light sentence because he had no previous criminal history, paid restitution of more than $1.6 million and provided prosecutors with evidence leading them to other illegal gamblers.

His name has come up in three previous disciplinary actions taken in 2025 involving fines of $10.5 million assessed to Resorts World Las Vegas and its parent company, Genting Berhad, in March, an $8.5 million fine against MGM Resorts International in April and a $7.8 million fine against Caesars Entertainment Inc. in November.

In Wednesday’s hearing, Lawrence said Bowyer satisfied four of the criteria necessary to be included on the list and that his presence in a gaming establishment poses a threat to the interests of Nevada or to licensed gaming. She said he has been convicted of felonies under federal law, has been convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, has been convicted of a crime in violation of California gaming laws, has been convicted of willful evasion of taxes and has a notorious or unsavory reputation that would adversely affect public confidence and trust that the gaming industry is free from criminal or corruptive elements.

Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer said it was important to make an example of Bowyer by placing him on the list.

“Normally, I wouldn’t give much airtime to this particular individual in this particular setting,” Dreitzer said. “However, I think it’s important to note that today the board takes an action that goes to the very core and the heart of Nevada’s gaming regulatory mission: the protection of integrity of gaming, the confidence of the public, and the reputation of the state as a gold standard for gaming regulation.”

He said Bowyer stands out as an example of why the list exists.

“The board never takes these actions lightly,” Dreitzer said. “Exclusion is very rare. It’s reserved for cases where the facts compel the conclusion that allowing continued access to licensed gaming establishments would erode public confidence, invite regulatory circumvention, or tarnish the reputation Nevada has spent decades building.

“Our decision today reflects that carefully crafted standard,” he said. “It also reflects an important message that Nevada gaming will not be used as a platform for conduct that undermines the rule of law, exploits regulatory gaps, or places licensees in untenable positions. Licensees are expected to operate at all times with integrity. So too are those who seek to engage with them. This action, again, reinforces that expectation.

Assad added that Bowyer “came through Nevada like a vortex.”

“He had toyed with us,” Assad said. “He was just thumbing his nose at us. He played at Caesars for seven years. He played at other casinos around town with impunity, he knew what he was doing. He was ruining people’s lives. He was tempting hosts with bribes if they would refer customers to him, knowing that they would probably be terminated if they were caught, but he didn’t care. He is responsible for so much negativity, worldwide negativity, throughout the escapade that he engaged in.”

The nomination to the list was the second in two months by the Control Board. In December, the board nominated former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix, who pleaded guilty in April 2022 in federal court to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and to filing a false tax return. His sentencing has repeatedly been delayed and is now scheduled in March.

The Nevada Gaming Commission, which has final say on who is excluded, last placed someone on the list in April 2024 when Neal Ahmad Hearne, 45, of North Las Vegas was added.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.