In its meeting on Thursday (30 January), the commission considered a settlement for Bowyer that was negotiated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB). A rep from the board and an attorney for the former Resorts World casino host faced a multitude of questions from commissioners. Bowyer was not present for the meeting.
Under the terms of the proposal, Bowyer would admit to all allegations outlined in a complaint by the NGCB from last August, cooperate with any further proceedings and would have her registration as an independent agent revoked for at least five years. Bowyer is the wife of convicted illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. She was hired to be his personal host at Resorts World Las Vegas, where he was known to launder illicit proceeds. Thus, she profited from his gambling losses, earning hundreds of thousands from the casino.
There was much confusion among commissioners about various details related to the situation. However, one thing they agreed on was the proposed terms were not enough – the matter was tabled for a later date with no vote. Commissioners specifically sought more details as to the couple’s forfeitures in the ongoing criminal investigation in which they are involved. No fine was included in the proposed settlement and the indication was that they’d like one to be.
They also sought a lifetime ban, rather than the standard five-year ban. Although Bowyer had indicated no desire to ever re-enter the Nevada gaming industry, the commission wanted that in print.
“A major bruising” to Nevada gaming
Overall, Bowyer’s defence was to shift blame to her husband, who currently awaits sentencing. He pleaded guilty to three federal charges in August. Nicole Bowyer told investigators that she was “a pawn” in her husband’s game and merely did what she was told. It was allegedly his idea to register her as a host in order to recoup some of his losses. She also alleged she had no knowledge of anti-money laundering (AML) protocols. This latter point struck a nerve with the commission.
Commissioner George Markantonis called these “flimsy, whimsical excuses”. Having worked with many hosts in his operating career, he said it was “hard to even remotely begin to believe that someone would not know” about AML obligations. He asserted the entire saga has been “a major bruising” to Nevada’s regulatory process.
“This case should serve as an example to everyone in the industry: claiming ignorance is not going to be a get-out-of-jail-free pass,” he said. “Excuses of ignorance are not going to be enough, certainly not for me, particularly when they have made financial gain.”
Respect my authority?
There was a lot of debate on Thursday over the question of authority. If Bowyer agrees to relinquish her agent status, she would technically leave the jurisdiction of gaming regulators. That would leave them no avenue of enforcement and there’s no guarantee Bowyer would cooperate in proceedings or pay fines.
Bowyer did not initially cooperate with the NGCB until after she was granted an extension to respond.
Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey asked that a provision be added that Bowyer would still be under the commission’s jurisdiction to ensure cooperation “and/or pay a fine if one were to be imposed”. She later added that she doesn’t “trust that (Bowyer’s) going to cooperate when she didn’t return phone calls”.
No timeline was given for when a new proposal would be submitted.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/land-based-casino-regulation/nicole-bowyer-settlement-nevada/
