On Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani sliced a 98 mile-per-hour fastball off the top of his bat, capping a four-run rally by the Los Angeles Dodgers with an RBI single to left-centerfield.
Appearing in Dodger Blue for the first time in an MLB regular-season game, the Japanese star went 2-for-5 in Wednesday's season-opener against the Padres in Seoul. By early Thursday morning, South Korean time, a bombshell report on Ohtani’s interpreter’s alleged ties to a Las Vegas bookmaker broke the Internet.
Dodgers players awoke Thursday to news that the team fired Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara amid questions surrounding a series of wire transfers to an associate of Matt Bowyer, the bookmaker in question. Reputed as a heavy bettor in Sin City, Bowyer has been on the radar of federal investigators for at least five years, a confidential source told .
Three years after Mizuhara began placing bets with an illegal book, Ohtani’s interpreter told ESPN that he became “over his head,” with his gambling activity. While Mizuhara racked up debts of at least $4.5 million, Ohtani is not the subject of a federal investigation, ESPN reported.
Mizuhara’s dismissal triggered questions surrounding a series of wire transfers sent to an associate of Matt Bowyer, a bookmaker under federal investigation for his connection to a Southern California illegal sports betting ring. The investigation into the ring has resulted in numerous convictions, including guilty pleas by former MGM Grand President Scott Sibella and the purported leader of the operation, Wayne Nix. Sibella, who became the president of Resorts World Las Vegas in 2019, was fired by the company last September.
Bowyer’s alleged ties to Ohtani’s interpreter
The origins of Bowyer’s relationship with Nix have yet to be determined, at least publicly. Shortly after his retirement from baseball in 2001, Nix allegedly enlisted three former MLB players to recruit various bettors. Among the celebrity clients who allegedly wagered with the ring include: former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig, ex-Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen, and Maverick Carter, the manager of LeBron James.
Since reports surfaced on Wednesday, has been unable to confirm the identity of Bowyer’s associate. But a source who spoke to on a condition of anonymity indicated that Bowyer opened multiple accounts in several countries for facilitating the scheme. While payments on losses never went directly to Bowyer, the bookmaker enlisted a small group of people to “pick up and collect” money. Furthermore, Bowyer established accounts in the U.S. and Costa Rica, according to the source, using the names of other associates. One account, the source told on Wednesday, contained the name of Bowyer’s brother.
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Asked if Bowyer’s has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors, the spokesman from the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Thursday.
Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, told thethat her client “never met, spoke with, or texted, or had contact in any way with Ohtani.” Bass did not return a request from for comment.
One question to ponder is if Bowyer used the offshore accounts as a hedging mechanism to lay off certain wagers placed in Vegas, according to a sports betting advisor who spoke with . While many Vegas books set high limits for established VIP players, the limits can be capped between $50,000 to $100,000 in various sports. One Nix client, court records show, placed a $5 million wager on the 2019 Super Bowl with the Nix betting ring.
Shohei Ohtani's interpreter has lived in America for 25+ years, including during the legalization of online sports betting.
I find it hard to believe he thought betting millions of dollars on credit through a bookie was the same thing as DraftKings. pic.twitter.com/WQkAef4apG
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 20, 2024
California, where sports betting is illegal, is ripe for activity on the offshore market. The advisor is “not surprised,” that Bowyer may have established a rapport with Mizuhara, Ohtani’s interpeter. Mizuhara attended college at UC-Riverside, a campus located in close proximity to Orange County. There are throngs of Californians lurking in “country clubs, poker rooms, and casinos,” with a thirst for sports betting, he noted. Tempted by the allure to make millions, illicit gambling rings rarely conduct rigorous background checks on a customer’s credit history.
“It’s not like you have to run a credit check like a store where you’re buying,” the advisor emphasized.
During the multi-year probe, the investigation has yet to shed much light on the credit lines available to Nix clients. However, more details could be revealed in the coming months if potential co-conspirators decide to flip.