The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday could make its first nomination to the state’s blacklist since 2024 when it considers adding convicted illegal bookie Mathew Bowyer to the list of people banned from Nevada casinos.
Bowyer, the illegal bookie who raked in millions of dollars in sports bets from Los Angeles Dodger baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former translator and de facto manager, was sentenced Aug. 29 to 12 months and one day in prison.
It is unclear when the Nevada Gaming Commission would consider the nomination because Bowyer is incarcerated in California and rules allow him to have a hearing to rebut charges.
Bowyer would be the first person since Neal Ahmad Hearne, 45, of North Las Vegas, was added to the list by the commission in April 2024.
Hearne was added to the list, known as Nevada’s “black book,” after a unanimous vote by the commission, which was shown video of him picking up thousands of dollars in casino chips from a blackjack table and bolting away.
Plea of guilty
Bowyer pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal charges of operating an illegal gambling operation, money laundering and filing a false tax return. He took sports bets from an estimated 700 players, including Ippei Mizuhara, who was sentenced to four years in prison in February for stealing an estimated $17 million from Ohtani, a superstar designated hitter and pitcher for the Dodgers.
Bowyer received what was considered a light sentence because he had no prior criminal history, paid restitution of more than $1.6 million and provided prosecutors with evidence that led them to other illegal gamblers.
His name has come up in three previous disciplinary actions taken in 2025 involving a $10.5 million fine imposed on Resorts World Las Vegas and its parent company, Genting Berhad, in March, an $8.5 million fine against MGM Resorts International in April and a $7.8 million fine against Caesars Entertainment Inc. in November.
Following his sentencing by U.S. District Judge John Holcomb in Santa Ana, Calif., in August, Bowyer apologized to Mizuhara and Ohtani at a news conference outside the courthouse.
Motivational speaker
He said that when he is released from prison in Lompoc, Calif., in October, he plans to become a motivational speaker. In the weeks leading up to his sentencing, he made the rounds as a podcast and radio guest talking about his case and promoting a self-published book, “Recalibrate,” detailing his high-rolling lifestyle and illegal activities and admitting he was “a degenerate gambler” who began betting as a teenager, surrounded by addictive behavior.
Representatives of the gambling control board did not respond to inquiries about Bowyer’s wife, Nicole Bowyer, who was scheduled for disciplinary action by the gambling commission in January 2025.
On January 30, the commission delayed action on a complaint against Nicole Bowyer, who worked as an independent agent with Resorts World Las Vegas.
Nicole Bowyer was banned for at least five years as an agent who encourages a player to play at a specific casino and receives a commission from the casino based on the player’s losses.
Commissioners delayed a decision on a settlement with her because they wanted to see her face harsher penalties. Commissioners separately said they wanted to see Nicole Bowyer fined or possibly have her agent status revoked for life.
Other adjustments may lie ahead of the list of excluded people because at least one of the 37 people currently on the list has died.
Anargyros Karabourniotis, also known as Archie Karas, died last fall. He was listed in September 2015 for cheating at card games. Karas became famous for “The Run”, which has been referred to as the greatest gambling winning streak in history. Karas is known for once turning $50 into $40 million during a legendary Las Vegas streak in the 1990s.
Another list inductee, 80-year-old Francis Citro of Las Vegas, formally requested removal from the list in November.
Commissioners are expected to consider whether to hold a hearing for Citro, who has documented through his attorney how his life has changed since he was listed on Nov. 21, 1991.
Citro is an entertainer and hopes to share stories with audiences from the city’s mob past.
If removed, Citro would be the first living person ever to be removed from the list.
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