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Big news came out on Thursday. The Nevada Gaming Control Board said Resorts World Las Vegas is in trouble.
This is a big deal because huge casinos usually don’t get into this kind of trouble. But this case is special because it involves MLB star Shohei Ohtani.
“…felons wagering at Resorts World included Mathew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty in federal court to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return…”
"…felons wagering at Resorts World included Mathew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty in federal court to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return…"
Matt Bower was the bookie for Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. pic.twitter.com/fxpI0Tfpa0
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) August 15, 2024
The complaint says Resorts World let illegal bookies place bets there. One of these bookies was Matthew Bowyer.
Bowyer got caught running an illegal gambling business and doing other bad stuff like money laundering. He was also taking bets for Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
Mizuhara has admitted to stealing $17 million from Ohtani. He used that money to gamble and now faces up to 33 years in prison for his crimes.
The complaint alleges that Ippei placed about 19,000 bets between December 2021 and January 2024, all with Ohtani's money. The complaint says Ippei won $142,256,769.74 and lost $182,935,206.68, with a total net loss of $40,678,436.94.
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) April 11, 2024
Resorts World opened its doors in 2021 and is one of the newest casinos in Las Vegas. Bowyer reportedly lost over $6.6 million there between July 2022 and October 2023.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board criticized the casino’s culture. They said it made people think they could launder illegal money there.
The board claims Resorts World ignored its anti-money laundering rules for profit. This could lead to huge fines or even losing their gaming license.
A full PDF of the complaint can be read here.
