Convicted illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer nominated for Nevada’s Black Book of excluded persons
Nevada gaming regulators have nominated Mathew Bowyer, a convicted illegal bookmaker tied to major gambling scandals.
Nevada gaming authorities have taken another step in their enforcement efforts against illegal gambling by nominating Mathew Bowyer, a convicted bookmaker whose ring triggered multi-million-dollar fines at major casinos, to the state’s List of Excluded Persons, commonly known as the Black Book.
This nomination was made by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on January 14, 2026, and now awaits review and approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Who Is Mathew Bowyer and Why the Exclusion?
Bowyer, a 50-year-old former Southern California bookmaker, has become a central figure in several high-profile illegal gambling investigations.
He previously pleaded guilty to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return. Bowyer began serving a 12-month, 1-day federal prison sentence in October 2025 at a facility in Lompoc, California.
His illegal operations, which reportedly involved taking bets from more than 700 customers, including Ippei Mizuhara, the Japanese interpreter for MLB star Shohei Ohtani, prompted significant penalties for Nevada casinos that failed to prevent his activities or verify the sources of his funds.
Bowyer’s case meets multiple criteria for Black Book inclusion, including felony convictions, crimes involving moral turpitude, and actions that undermine public confidence in the gaming industry.
What Is Nevada’s “Black Book”?
The List of Excluded Persons, known in Nevada as the Black Book, is a registry of individuals excluded from entering or engaging in Nevada casinos because their conduct is deemed incompatible with honesty, integrity, or public trust.
Inclusion typically follows nomination by the Gaming Control Board and confirmation by the Gaming Commission.
Originally established in 1960, the Black Book includes people banned for a variety of serious misconduct, from cheating and organized crime ties to significant regulatory violations. As of January 2026, the list has 37 individuals already barred from Nevada casinos.
If approved by the Commission, which historically tends to follow the Control Board’s recommendations, Bowyer would join this long roster of excluded persons.
Broader Enforcement and Casino Penalties
Bowyer’s influence on Nevada’s gaming industry extended beyond his own illegal operations. His extensive gambling activity with unverified funds exposed weaknesses in anti-money-laundering controls at several major casinos:
- Resorts World Las Vegas was fined $10.5 million in March 2025 for allowing Bowyer and others with suspected ties to illegal bookmaking to gamble without sufficient source-of-funds verification.
- MGM Resorts International faced an $8.5 million penalty in 2025 for failing to flag illegal bookies, including Wayne Nix, and allowing them to wager large sums.
- Caesars Entertainment was fined $7.8 million in late 2025 for similar compliance lapses involving Bowyer.
These enforcement actions reflect Nevada regulators’ insistence that casinos maintain robust anti-money-laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) systems to detect and prevent illicit wagering-related activity.
What Happens Next
Once officially nominated, the Gaming Commission is expected to consider Bowyer’s Black Book inclusion at its scheduled meeting, currently set for January 29, 2026. Bowyer — even while incarcerated — has the right under Nevada regulations to request a formal hearing to contest the evidence or his exclusion, though most nominees historically do not pursue that option.
If approved, Bowyer would be banned permanently from entering any Nevada casino — a significant professional and symbolic sanction in the state that is synonymous with legal gaming in the U.S.
Conclusion: A Clear Message on Integrity
The nomination of Mathew Bowyer to Nevada’s Black Book underscores regulators’ ongoing commitment to enforcing gaming laws, upholding integrity, and penalizing both unlawful operators and the institutions that fail to detect or prevent illicit gambling behavior.
By moving to exclude a high-profile illegal bookmaker linked to major financial penalties for respected casinos, Nevada continues signaling that regulatory compliance and trustworthiness are paramount in its gaming jurisdiction.
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