Caesars clears slate
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has fined Caesars Palace $7.8m over anti-money laundering (AML) compliance failures linked to Mathew Bowyer, the bookmaker connected to the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal.
The NGCB’s vote on the fine came on Thursday and settles Caesars’ role in a case involving Bowyer illegally accepting bets in California from Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.
not following up on suspicions, or an anonymous tip, that Bowyer was a bookmaker
The gaming board alleged that Caesars failed to verify Bowyer’s source of funds despite gambling millions of dollars at its casino between 2017 and 2024. The NGCB also accused Caesars of not following up on suspicions, or an anonymous tip, that Bowyer was a bookmaker.
Taking a rod to its own back
According to Michigan daily The Associated Press, Caesars ate a fair amount of humble pie along with its fine.
The NGCB has already fined Resorts World $10.5m and MGM Resorts International $8.5m in connection to Bowyer’s misdeeds, making Caesars the third casino in the limelight.
However, while the AP stated MGM Resorts and Resorts World did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the penalties, Caesars candidly admitted to the failures during an NGCB hearing.
We didn’t catch Bowyer and we should have.”
Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg stated on Thursday: “There is no customer that’s worth illegitimate profits. We didn’t catch Bowyer and we should have.”
Caesars’ Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors Gary Carano was even harder on his firm, also saying at the hearing: “The way our (anti-money laundering) program operated in this instance was unacceptable.”
Carano told the NGCB that Caesars “will do everything possible to prevent this from coming before you ever again.”
Lesson learned
According to reports, the fine includes a requirement for Caesars to better ensure AML compliance among staff.
Bowyer last year pleaded guilty to money laundering and operating an illegal gambling business in California, while admitting to taking bets from Mizuhara among hundreds of other bettors. In August, a US District Judge handed Bowyer the relatively light sentence of a year and a day in federal prison.
