Las Vegas Strip Casino Accused of Hosting Criminals

Executives at the Resorts World casino on the Las Vegas Strip have been accused of allowing illegal sports-betting bookies and others with ties to organized crime to gamble at the property.

Investigators with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which oversees the state’s casino industry, said in a complaint filed Thursday that Resorts World executives ignored signs that some of its high-rolling customers were gambling with proceeds from illegal activities in violation of anti-money-laundering regulations.

The accusations coincide with a federal investigation into illegal sports-betting operations that recently ensnared baseball star Shohei Ohtani ’s longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara .

The casino’s alleged practice of allowing gamblers who had criminal ties to spend money there created “the perception and/or reality that Resorts World is an avenue to launder funds derived from illegal activity,” damaging the reputation of the state’s gambling industry, investigators said.

“We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines,” Resorts World Las Vegas said in a statement Thursday. The company said it has been “actively communicating” with the Gaming Control Board to resolve the matter.

The $4.3 billion casino, which opened in 2021, is part of Malaysia’s Genting Berhad, which has other casinos and entertainment properties around the world.

The complaint points to Mathew Bowyer , an illegal bookmaker who gambled away more than $7.9 million at Resorts World between February 2022 and October 2023.

One of Bowyer’s clients was Mizuhara, the Japanese language interpreter for Ohtani. Prosecutors allege that Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the baseball player to pay off gambling debts. He agreed to plead guilty in federal court to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.

Resorts World hosts, who cater to high-rollers, showered Bowyer with private jet flights, gifts and promotional chips to keep him spending at the casino, despite knowledge that he was involved in illegal sports betting, according to the complaint. The executives failed to verify the source of Bowyer’s funds, as required under its own anti-money-laundering policies.

Bowyer was banned from Resorts World after federal authorities executed a search warrant at his home in October.

He has since pleaded guilty in federal court to operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return. His gambling operation involved at times more than 700 bettors, and he employed agents who were sometimes paid with casino chips, according to prosecutors. An attorney for Bowyer declined to comment.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended that state gambling regulators issue a fine against Resorts World and take disciplinary action against the casino’s gambling license. The Gaming Control Board is overseen by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which takes action on the body’s recommendations.

The complaint also says Resorts World allowed another suspected bookie and two convicted criminals to gamble on the property, including extending credit to play.

Illegal bookies who become gambling patrons have become a threat on the Strip. Earlier this year, longtime Las Vegas executive Scott Sibella pleaded guilty in federal court to allowing illegal sports-betting bookie Wayne Nix to gamble at the MGM Grand while Sibella was president of that casino.

After leaving the MGM Grand, Sibella became president of Resorts World in 2019, a role he left last year.

Girard-Perregaux has revealed the first watches created through its partnership with Atlassian Williams F1 Team, bringing the British racing team’s colours to one of Switzerland’s most recognisable integrated-bracelet designs.

The collaboration comprises two 42mm steel watches: the time-and-date Laureato Williams Edition and the more technical Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition.

Both retain the familiar architecture of the Laureato, including its octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet and mix of polished and satin-finished surfaces. The influence of Williams is comparatively restrained, appearing through colour, discreet branding and details inspired by the team’s current Formula 1 car.

It is a welcome departure from the oversized logos and literal automotive references that can characterise motorsport watches.

The Williams FW48 inspires the dial

The centrepiece of both models is a blue Clous de Paris dial informed by the livery of the Williams FW48, the car being campaigned by the team during the 2026 Formula 1 season.

A small Williams “W” replaces the conventional marker at 12 o’clock, while the team emblem appears on the sapphire crystal caseback. Red accents echo the keyline used on the FW48 without overwhelming the established Laureato design.

The three-hand model offers the quieter interpretation. Baton-shaped, rhodium-plated hands and hour markers are filled with white-emitting luminescent material, while a date window sits at three o’clock.

The chronograph creates a more obvious connection with motorsport. Three subdials are framed by rhodium-plated rings, with red appearing on the small-seconds hand and the tip of the central chronograph seconds hand.

Both watches measure 42mm across and are water resistant to 100 metres. The standard Laureato has a case thickness of 10.68mm, while the additional mechanics of the chronograph increase its profile to 12.16mm.

Two in-house automatic movements

The Laureato Williams Edition is powered by Girard-Perregaux’s self-winding GP01800 calibre. The movement provides hours, minutes, central seconds and the date, with a minimum power reserve of 54 hours.

The Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition uses the automatic GP03300 calibre, which combines its chronograph functions with a date display and offers a minimum power reserve of 46 hours.

Both movements operate at 28,800 vibrations per hour and can be viewed through their sapphire crystal casebacks.

Their decoration provides a more traditional counterpoint to the Formula 1 association. Finishing techniques include Côtes de Genève, circular graining, bevelling, mirror polishing, satin finishing, engraving and snailing.

The result is less about reproducing the appearance of a racing car than identifying the common ground between two mechanical disciplines: precision, incremental development and the considerable work hidden beneath the finished product.

Parallel histories

The timing of the partnership draws attention to the remarkably similar ages of its two protagonists.

Girard-Perregaux introduced the original Laureato in 1975, establishing an integrated-bracelet sports watch with a distinctive octagonal bezel. Williams entered Formula 1 two years later in 1977.

Both have evolved continuously across the five decades since. The Laureato has moved through different sizes, materials and complications, while retaining its central design language. Williams, meanwhile, has remained one of Formula 1’s most historically significant teams.

That gives the collaboration greater credibility than a simple licensing exercise. Girard-Perregaux and Williams are not being connected solely through the familiar language of speed. Their stronger link is a shared dependence on engineering, testing and the accumulation of specialist knowledge.

The watches are described as the beginning of a longer collaboration, suggesting further Williams editions may follow.

Girard-Perregaux’s international website lists the Laureato Williams Edition at US$16,200 and the Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition at US$20,900. Australian pricing has not been announced.

Specifications

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Williams Edition 42mm

Reference: 81010-11-3680-1GM
Case: Steel
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 10.68mm
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Dial: Blue Clous de Paris pattern
Movement: Automatic GP01800
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds and date
Power reserve: Minimum 54 hours
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet: Integrated steel bracelet with triple-folding clasp
International price: US$16,200

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Williams Edition 42mm

Reference: 81020-11-3681-1GM
Case: 904L steel
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 12.16mm
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Dial: Blue Clous de Paris pattern with three chronograph counters
Movement: Automatic GP03300
Functions: Chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds and date
Power reserve: Minimum 46 hours
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet: Integrated 904L steel bracelet with triple-folding clasp
International price: US$20,900