TLDR The Venetian Las Vegas agreed to a $7.2 million fine for anti-money laundering violations tied to convicted bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed the settlement and a four-count complaint on June 25. The Venetian is the fourth Las Vegas Strip casino fined over Bowyer, joining Resorts World, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment. Bowyer gambled at the Venetian from 1999 to 2024, with the investigation focused mainly on 2019 to 2024. The four casinos combined will pay $34 million in fines if the Venetian settlement is approved.
The Venetian Las Vegas has agreed to pay a $7.2 million fine for failing to follow anti-money laundering rules connected to Mathew Bowyer. Bowyer is a convicted illegal bookmaker who was banned from Nevada casinos earlier this year.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed the settlement agreement along with a four-count complaint on June 25. The Nevada Independent first reported the news.
The Venetian is now the fourth Las Vegas Strip casino punished over its dealings with Bowyer. Resorts World Las Vegas, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment were all fined last year for similar failures.
What Bowyer Did
Bowyer pleaded guilty in August 2024 to money laundering and filing false tax returns. He was released from federal prison and later added to Nevada’s banned patron list, known as the “black book,” in April.
That listing can keep him out of every casino in the state for life.
According to the complaint, Bowyer gambled at the Venetian from 1999 through 2024. Investigators focused mainly on the period between 2019 and 2024.
That stretch covers both the casino’s current owner, Apollo Global Management, and its former owner, Las Vegas Sands. Apollo bought the Venetian’s operations from Sands for $2.25 billion in a deal that closed in early 2022.
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