Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani addressed the sports betting scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, expressing shock and sadness at the betrayal. Mizuhara was fired after being accused of stealing money from Ohtani to place bets with a bookie. Ohtani denied any involvement in sports betting, stating that he never placed bets or went through a bookmaker for sports wagering.
Ohtani met Mizuhara when he was playing for the Hokkaidō Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan before bringing him along when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. The scandal came to light when wire transfers totaling at least $4.5 million were discovered from Ohtani’s account to a bookmaking operation in Southern California. Mizuhara initially claimed that Ohtani agreed to bail him out of gambling debt, but Ohtani refuted this story, stating that he was unaware of the situation until recently.
The Dodgers superstar revealed that Mizuhara admitted to sending money from his account to a bookmaker without Ohtani’s consent or knowledge. Mizuhara reportedly confessed to Ohtani’s representatives after changing his story from initially claiming Ohtani knew about the gambling activities to admitting that Ohtani was unaware. Ohtani emphasized that he did not agree to pay off the debts or make any payments to the bookmaker and was shocked to learn of the situation during a team meeting in South Korea.
Major League Baseball has launched an internal investigation into the scandal, along with the IRS conducting a criminal investigation on Mizuhara and the bookmaker in question, Matthew Bowyer. Bowyer’s attorney clarified that Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani and only noticed Ohtani’s funds in relation to the wire transfers. It was also mentioned that Mizuhara was a client of Bowyer’s for two years, primarily betting on international soccer, and occasionally basketball and football, but never on baseball.
MLB regulations prohibit players and staff from engaging in sports betting related to baseball and from wagering with illegal or offshore bookmakers. Consequences for violating these rules are determined by team management. Ohtani expressed difficulty in articulating his emotions regarding the scandal due to legal considerations but maintained that he did not participate in any sports betting activities. The scandal serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of gambling addiction and the impact it can have on professional athletes and those around them.
