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Venetian fined $7.2 million for taking $22.3 million in bets from illegal bookmaker
The Venetian is the latest Vegas casino to receive a massive fine for dealings related to convicted illegal bookie Matthew Bowyer. That brings the total Nevada casino fines related to Bowyer to $34 million.
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has been fined $7.2 million by the Nevada Gaming Control Board after accepting long-term betting action from a known illegal bookmaker. According to the Gaming Control Board, The Venetian took approximately $22.3 million in bets from Matthew Bowyer, a convicted bookie.
Current operators must cover the $7.2m bill
According to the Gaming Control Board's complaint, most of the illegal sports gambling happened between 2019 and 2021. The Las Vegas Sands Corp. operated The Venetian during this time before selling it to Apollo Global Management Group in 2022.
Despite not owning the casino when Bowyer was making illegal bets, Apollo Global has agreed to pay the $7.2 million fine. As The Nevada Independent reports, the current owners must cover the multimillion-dollar fine because they acquired The Venetian's assets and liabilities through the 2022 sale.
Bowyer's illegal activities were known as early as 2019
Bowyer made 30 trips to The Venetian during the three years, placing an estimated $22.3 million worth of deposits into the sportsbook. He proceeded to lose approximately $3.6 million to the resort during this span.
A Venetian casino host knew about Bowyer's illegal bookmaking dating back to 2019 but didn't raise concerns. The casino itself also must run high rollers through a know-your-customer (KYC) process when determining how much they can afford to bet. This is similar to how licensed real money casino apps must put customers through KYC before accepting wagers.
The complaint notes The Venetian's failure to "substantiate Bowyer's source of funds and/or that his source of funds did not support his level of play."
Bowyer was banned from the property in 2024 when The Venetian's current operators learned about his illegal sports betting activities. His case made headlines when it was revealed that he accepted thousands of bets from the Japanese interpreter for L.A. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
He pleaded guilty to federal charges of money laundering, filing a false tax return, and running an unlawful gambling business. In October 2025, he was sentenced to one year and one day in a low-security federal prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million to the IRS.
Other Las Vegas casinos have also paid fines related to Bowyer
The Venetian isn't the only casino that's been penalized for dealings with Bowyer. Resorts World Las Vegas ($10.5m fine), MGM Resorts International ($8.5m), and Caesars Entertainment ($7.8m) agreed to pay even larger fines in Nevada last year. Adding The Venetian's $7.2 million fine, that equals $34 million in total operator penalties related to Bowyer's wagers.
Bowyer has been placed in Nevada's infamous "Black Book," meaning he's banned from all casinos throughout the state. The fallout also included longtime MGM and Resorts World executive Scott Sibella being blacklisted from the industry due to his relationship with Bowyer.
Anti-money laundering regulations have been revamped in Vegas
First reported by CDC Gaming, Gaming Control Board Chairman Mike Dreitzer said Bowyer's situation led the state to improve its anti-money laundering (AML) standards.
"We heard and saw loud and clear that there were limitations and concerns with AML," said Dreitzer. "The industry has seen that and resoundingly got around this culture of compliance and the need to put compliance over commerce. We believe these (regulations) will make real differences."
Under the new regulations, the Gaming Control Board will review employees heavily involved with casino AML programs and player development.
Perhaps the state can take a page from the legal gambling online casino industry, which has had strong AML and KYC standards in place for years.
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Written by Jeremy Olson
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