Mathew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker from Southern California, faces a prison sentence after admitting to operating an illegal gambling ring, money laundering, and submitting a false tax return.
Bowyer, 49, entered his guilty pleas in a Santa Ana federal court late last week, acknowledging his role in a gambling operation that ran for over five years in Southern California and Las Vegas.
“I was running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money through other people’s bank accounts,” Bowyer said in court.
The case was part of a national U.S. scandal involving Bowyer and Ippie Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Mizhuhara stole some $17 million from Ohtani, most of which he lost gambling via Bowyer’s illegal sports betting operation.
The case also involved potential money laundering at Las Vegas casinos. Bowyer was an associate of another convicted California bookie, Wayne Nix, whose unchallenged high spending at Resorts World Las Vegas eventually led to the firing and sentencing of resort president Scott Sibella. Bowyer was also reportedly a heavy gambler at Resorts World, spending millions there between 2022 and 2023.
Bowyer is set to be sentenced in a California court on February 7, when he will reportedly be looking at 18 to 37 months behind bars. The maximum possible sentence for his charges is 18 years.
The Guilty Plea
In court on Friday August 9, Bowyer admitted all charges against him. His illegal gambling operation was based out of Los Angeles, California, between 2018 and 2023. It had operating revenues of some $4 million a year, prosecutors said, and served some 700 high-value clients.
As well as taking in-person bets, sometimes while at casinos in California and Las Vegas, Bowyer also set up web services in Costa Rica.
Part of the charges relate to false tax returns. Bowyer reported $607,897 in income for 2022. But prosecutors said his actual income was $4.03 million. Under the plea deal, Bowyer will forfeit $257,923 in cash and $14,830 in casino chips as proceeds of crime.
“He is looking forward to his sentence so that he can put this chapter behind him and so he and his family can get on with their lives,” Bowyer’s lawyer Diane Bass said.
The Wider Investigation
The sentencing of Bowyer may not be the end of this wide-ranging investigation into illegal Californian bookmaking operations. Authorities involved included the Inland Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Several other high-stakes gamblers at Resorts World were also connected to Bowyer, and may have been associates of his bookmaking operation. The NGCB is also preparing a legal filing against Sibella, on top of his criminal sentence for failure to report potential money laundering.
Meanwhile, Mizuhara also filed a guilty plea in court in June, admitting several counts of bank and tax fraud charges. He is awaiting sentencing, when he could face anywhere from seven to 33 years in prison.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
