The Venetian Resort Las Vegas has agreed to pay $7.2 million to Nevada gaming regulators to settle allegations tied to bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, the latest fallout from a case that has pushed Bowyer-related penalties across the Strip to about $34 million.
A four-count complaint posted on June 25 says most of the alleged illegal gambling activity took place from 2019 to 2021. Over that period, Bowyer made about 30 trips to the resort, deposited more than $22.3 million and lost at least $3.6 million.
Regulators say the property failed to verify how Bowyer funded his play and whether those funds matched his level of gambling. They also said a casino host knew as early as sometime in 2019 or early 2020 that Bowyer was an illegal bookmaker, but failed to report it under the casino’s anti-money-laundering program.
The complaint details a series of warning signs. On June 11, 2019, Bowyer filled out a guest-information form saying he ran Green Forever, a synthetic-turf business, and listing a $200,000 SEP IRA and real estate worth $3.2 million. Regulators later said the business’s annual sales appeared to be no more than about $94,000.
Two weeks later, Bowyer said his net worth was above $5 million. In June 2019, he arrived with a $1 million cashier’s check, was allowed to gamble and later got the check back after leaving a winner.
By the complaint’s account, later staff notes repeatedly flagged concerns about Bowyer’s source of funds and whether that source supported his play. Officials eventually banned him in March 2024, after receiving information that he might be operating as an illegal bookmaker.
The settlement also reflects the ownership change at the property. Apollo Global Management and Vici Properties bought the Venetian, Palazzo and the Venetian Expo from Las Vegas Sands in a $6.25 billion deal that closed in 2022, and the complaint says the current owners assumed liabilities tied to the matter.
Bowyer pleaded guilty in federal court in 2024 to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return. Nevada regulators have since said the Bowyer episode helped drive revisions to the state’s AML rules this year, with Mike Dreitzer warning that compliance must come before commerce.
If approved, the settlement will go before the Nevada Gaming Commission at a hearing in August.
