Nevada's Gaming Control Board approved a $7.2 million anti-money-laundering fine against the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, the fourth penalty tied to illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer since early 2025. Across related investigations, the regulator has collected $34 million from four Las Vegas operators: Resorts World, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and the Venetian.
In each case the casino failed to verify Bowyer's source of funds and allowed the convicted bookmaker onto the gaming floor despite compliance obligations to the contrary. Between 2019 and 2024 Bowyer visited the Venetian dozens of times and lost $3.6 million there. The fine came to twice that amount — lighter than the Caesars settlement, where $7.8 million represented three times the operator's profit from Bowyer's play ($2.6 million).
Most of the breaches occurred between 2019 and 2021, when Las Vegas Sands owned the property. Apollo Global Management bought the casino in 2022 and accepted the penalty for violations under the previous owner, a pattern that repeated itself in the Caesars case. A regulatory spokesman noted that the Venetian received some leniency: investigators found no 'culture of compliance disregard', no federal probe was opened, and senior management reportedly did not know about Bowyer's bookmaking activity.
Two of the five board members recused themselves. George Markantonis served as Venetian president during the violation period. Richard Schonfeld, a criminal defence lawyer, represented a figure in a related investigation — likely bookmaker Damien Leforbes, who is named in the Resorts World case. The three remaining commissioners approved the settlement unanimously.
Venetian CEO Patrick Nichols said Apollo has tightened AML policy: Sands ran compliance at corporate level, the new owners moved oversight to property level and now turn away players with questionable fund sources. Commissioner Brian Krolicki said he regretted that the former management did not appear before the regulator.
