Sentencing delayed for illegal bookmaker tied to Las Vegas casino

The federal sentencing of a one-time illegal bookmaker at the center of a Las Vegas Strip casino’s anti-money laundering compliance issues has been rescheduled.

Mathew Bowyer, the ex-bookie whose client list included professional athletes and a former Major League Baseball Japanese-language interpreter, will be sentenced on April 4, according to court documents. Bowyer, 49, pleaded guilty in August to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return.

Bowyer was originally set to be sentenced in February. No reason was provided in the court documents for the rescheduled sentencing.

Federal prosecutors say Bowyer ran an illegal bookmaking ring for nearly five years, conducting his illicit business in Southern California and Las Vegas. Among those known to place bets with Bowyer was Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who admitted to stealing millions of dollars from the baseball player to fund his own gambling activities.

Currently, Bowyer is at the center of the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s 12-count disciplinary complaint against Resorts World Las Vegas. State gaming regulators say Resorts World’s anti-money laundering compliance committee failed to properly enforce finance laws and stop the suspected illegal bookmaker from gambling on the property. According to Nevada regulators, Bowyer gambled at Resorts World for approximately 20 months and lost just under $8 million without the casino’s compliance committee ever establishing his source of funds, as required by law.

The NGCB also filed a two-count complaint against Bowyer’s wife, Nicole, who was hired as a casino host at Resorts World and served as her husband’s personal host. According to NGCB documents, Nicole Bowyer earned more than $667,000 in 2022 and 2023 from her husband’s gambling activity at Resorts World. She is accused of acting as an independent agent for an apparent illegal bookmaker and failing to cooperate with gaming control board agents during their investigation.

In a public Instagram post, the Bowyers recently responded to a Las Vegas social media influencer’s claim that Nicole was not cooperating with authorities, saying she is, in fact, cooperating with ongoing investigations.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has not adjudicated either of the NGCB’s disciplinary complaints against Resorts World Las Vegas or Nicole Bowyer. Resorts World must formally respond to the complaint by Dec. 9.

David Danzis can be contacted at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0378. Follow AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.