NGCB Moves to Add Convicted Vegas Bookie Bowyer to Black Book List

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has moved to permanently bar convicted illegal bookmaker Matthew Bowyer from all state casinos by nominating him for inclusion on its List of Excluded Persons. The Wednesday action follows Bowyer’s 2023 guilty plea for operating a multi-state gambling ring, money laundering, and tax fraud, which triggered $28.5 million penalties for Strip casinos Resorts World, MGM, and Caesars in 2025.

Bowyer, currently incarcerated at a California federal prison with an August 2026 release date, retains the right to challenge the “Black Book” addition before the Nevada Gaming Commission. The regulatory body, which has 37 names on the list, historically approves such nominations. Final approval would mean a lifetime statewide casino ban for Bowyer.

Casino Fines and Regulatory Stance

The NGCB’s Black Book nomination follows revelations that Bowyer’s illegal gambling operation serviced approximately 700 bettors, including Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

He was sentenced in February 2026 to four years for embezzling $17 million from the baseball star. Regulators tied Bowyer’s activities to fines against major Las Vegas resorts: $10.5 million for Resorts World, $8.5 million for MGM, and $7.8 million for Caesars.

Nevada's Defense

At Wednesday’s hearing, NGCB Chair Mike Dreitzer framed the nomination as a defense of Nevada’s regulatory credibility. “Today the board takes an action that goes to the very core and the heart of Nevada’s gaming regulatory mission, the protection of the integrity of gaming, the confidence of the public, and the reputation of the state as a gold standard for gaming regulation,” he explained.

Exclusion Call Intensifies

Chair Dreitzer defended Bowyer’s Black Book nomination as an exceptional measure, stating exclusions are reserved for those risking Nevada’s “public confidence” or its hard-earned reputation.

The move marks the second high-profile nomination in two months, following December’s unanimous vote against Way Nix. The former minor-league baseball player’s illegal bookmaking operation ensnared Resorts World and MGM Grand executive Scott Sibella, who was stripped of his license and banned from the Nevada gaming industry for five years.

Nix, who pleaded guilty in 2022 to running an unlicensed gambling ring and tax fraud, awaits final commission approval. The list’s last addition came in April 2024 with Neal Ahmad Hearne, convicted twice of casino chip thefts at Aria and Silverton properties.