Nevada gaming regulators are accusing the Resorts World casino of hosting illegal gambling

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a disciplinary complaint Thursday, alleging that one of the largest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip welcomed illegal gamblers, people with prior gambling convictions and people connected to crime organized. .

Many of the allegations against Resorts World Las Vegas have focused on Mathew Bowyer, the Southern California bookie that took thousands in sports bets from former performer for baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Bowyer pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Santa Ana, California, to running an illegal gambling business.

The board asked the Nevada Gaming Commission, which has disciplinary authority, to fine the company and take what experts say would be rare action against Resorts World’s gambling license.

“The commission has the power to decide what they want to do with it,” said Michael Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has long studied the Las Vegas casino business. “They can decide to withdraw the license. They can decide no, this is too much, there should be fines. There are executives who may be forced out. So they have some latitude here. And they’re always hesitant to go that far, because you can’t be sure of the long-term effects.”

The commission did not immediately respond to an after-hours message Thursday seeking comment on the timing of the decision.

Resorts World said it is communicating with the board to resolve the issues so it can focus on its guests and nearly 5,000 employees.

“We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in accordance with applicable laws and industry guidelines,” it said in a statement.

The 31-page complaint alleges Resorts World allowed Bowyer to play 80 separate days over about 15 months while repeatedly failing to verify the source of his funding. Bowyer lost more than $6.6 million during that time as the casino extended gifts, discounts and flights on his private jet, according to the complaint.

Bowyer was kicked out of Resorts World on October 6, 2023, after a federal search warrant was executed at his home. Prosecutors said Bowyer ran an illegal gambling business for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas and took bets from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani’s former performer Ippei Mizuhara.

Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The complaint lists 12 allegations against Resorts World – six related to Bowyer – including failure to remove suspected illegal bookies, failure of casino hosts to report suspected illegal bookings and hosts referring potential customers to suspected illegal bookies.

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Other charges related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to other people with prior illegal gambling or organized crime convictions – one of whom was convicted of operating an illegal gambling business and another who was convicted of in a large-scale Internet gambling operation.

The complaint also alleges that Resorts World employees failed to report unusual or suspicious activity and violations of its anti-money laundering program to their superiors. Program committee members acknowledged during the board’s investigation that Bowyer’s funding source did not justify his level of play, according to the complaint.

“This culture results in the perception and/or reality that Resorts World is a conduit for the laundering of funds from illegal activities and/or for the furtherance of criminal activities that harm the reputation of the State of Nevada and the Nevada gaming industry,” the board said. in the complaint.

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Associated Press writer Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.