Twenty-six-year-old Yuto Moriyasu arrived in Vegas from Japan at the end of May, with plans to play the Main Event. Moriyasu, however, did not appear in any of the starting flights for this year’s Main Event, nor on the subsequent late registration on days 2abc or 2d.
The authorities and his family are now desperately asking people for help as the Japanese national has not been in contact since July 2nd. They plead that “even the smallest detail could be critical in bringing Yuto home safely”.
Japanese poker player Yuto Moriyasu vanished in Las Vegas on July 2, during the World Series of Poker. He was last seen at a home in Spring Valley, with his $10,000 buy-in for the Main Event. Authorities and his family are seeking public help to find him. pic.twitter.com/L1kTxj0oMx
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) July 8, 2025
The Urgent Missing Person Alert notice gives the following description of Moriyasu:
– Name: Yuto Moriyasu
– Age: 26
– Date of Birth: November 4, 1997
– Nationality: Japanese
– Height: 5’7″ (170 cm)
– Weight: 180 lbs
– Hair: Brown, wavy
– Eyes: Brown
– Distinguishing Marks: None (no tattoos or piercings)
– Last Seen Wearing: T-shirt and shorts
– Medical History: No known mental health issues, anger issues, or medical conditions .
They also shared the last known details of the young Japanese man:
– Date Last Seen: July 2, 2025
– Time: Approximately 1:00 PM PDT
– Location: Spring Valley, Las Vegas, NV
The urgent plea for help from the public states that “Yuto arrived in Las Vegas from Japan on May 25, 2025, to participate in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). His planned departure was July 19, 2025. He has not been seen or heard from since July 2. Even the smallest detail could be critical in bringing Yuto home safely.”
Spring Valley is a suburban town of 215,000 residents just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Vegas Strip and a 15-minute drive from the Horseshoe and Paris Casinos, home to the World Series of Poker.
Moriyasu has been playing poker since his arrival in Vegas, his only recorded cashes coming from three $150 buy-in ‘Late Night’ events at the MGM Grand Summer Poker Festival and one at the South Point Summer Dailies.
He reportedly had his $10,000 buy-in for the Main Event (presumably in cash) with him when last seen at a home in Spring Valley.
His family have pleaded with the public to “Share this alert to help spread the word and assist in locating Yuto. Time is critical.”
It’s not the first time that the poker community has been asked to help find a missing person. In July 2020, former highstakes pro Brad Booth was reported missing from his home in Reno, Nevada.
Booth, who admits to “degenerate” behaviour at the peak of his career, still gets called out over his well-publicized poker debts. He turned up safe and sound in September of 2020, claiming “Sometimes in life you just have to take a timeout.”
A second missing poker player story has had a less-than-happy ending, so far at least. In 2019, Icelandic poker player Jon Jonsson vanished without trace while in Dublin for the Dublin Poker Festival. 41-year-old father of four Jonsson had travelled to Dublin with his girlfriend but mysteriously disappeared after leaving his hotel.
Mr Jonsson has never been found but anonymous tip-offs to his family have claimed that Mr Jonsson “may have been murdered by a known violent criminal who was sent to kill another man in Dublin”, according to news reports.
If you have any knowledge of the whereabouts of Yuto Moriyasu (or indeed Jon Jonsson) please contact the authorities closest to you in the first instance.
