Caesars Entertainment, one of the largest casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip, has agreed to pay a $7.8 million fine and implement enhanced anti-money laundering (AML) controls in response to a regulatory complaint from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission. The complaint, filed alongside the settlement stipulation, outlines failures in Caesars’ internal controls that allowed Mathew Bowyer, a convicted illegal bookmaker, to gamble at Caesars properties for more than seven years, from before 2017 until January 2024, when he was banned from all Caesars locations.
The state’s five-count, 21-page complaint alleges that Caesars permitted Bowyer—categorized as “high risk” since June 2019—to gamble and lose millions of dollars across its Las Vegas, northern Nevada, and California casinos over about 100 separate days between 2017 and 2024, without adequately verifying the source of his funds or ensuring they were consistent with his level of play.
As part of the settlement, Caesars neither admits nor denies the allegations. The company stated that it fully cooperated with regulators, emphasizing its commitment to integrity, regulatory compliance, and strengthening its AML and “know your customer” practices.
This regulatory action follows similar penalties against other major Strip operators. Earlier in 2024, MGM Resorts International paid an $8.5 million fine for related AML failures, and Resorts World Las Vegas and its parent Genting Berhad settled for $10.5 million, marking the second-largest fine in Nevada gaming history. All these cases involved failures related to Bowyer, whose client list included Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter convicted of stealing $17 million from MLB star Shohei Ohtani.
Bowyer, 50, pleaded guilty to federal charges of operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. He began serving a one-year prison sentence in October 2024. Regulators will consider final approval of the Caesars settlement at a public meeting on November 20.