Shohei Ohtani Responds to Sports Betting Scandal

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has addressed the sports betting scandal apparently solely brought upon by his own confidant and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. 

On Monday, after a weekend dominated by talk of the scandal surrounding his interpreter’s frequent use of an illegal California bookmaker, of a $4.5 million debt racked up by Mizuhara, and of Ohtani's supposed involvement in paying off a massive gambling debt for his interpreter, the Japanese phenom denied any involvement in the scheme.

“I’ve never bet on baseball or any other sports or asked someone to do it on my behalf,” Ohtani said during Monday’s press conference. "I’ve never asked a bookmaker to do it on my behalf. Up until a few days ago, I didn’t know this was happening. In conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies."

Some background

News broke last week that during the Dodgers spring training stop in South Korea of Mizuhara's involvement with a California bookmaker and a federal investigation into not only the baseball star's interpreter but also the illegal California bookmaker in question.

According to Ohtani, a member of the media last week contacted a "representative in my camp inquiring about my potential involvement in sports betting."

After learning of the story in South Korea, Ohtani claims he went back to a Seoul hotel where he had a conversation with Mizuhara and learned about the massive debt incurred.

Ohtani claims that it was in that conversation that he first learned that his interpreter was taking money from his personal account and funnelling it to the bookmaker.

Mizuhara's take

Mizuhara spoke to ESPN last week after the story broke. It was ESPN that first reported that someone with access to Ohtani's bank account had sent two wire transfers of $500,000 to bookie Matthew Bowyer last fall.

Mizuhara, in that interview said that "I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. … I’m terrible [at gambling.] Never going to do it again. Never won any money. I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball effect.”

He also said that "Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn't happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again. He decided to pay it off for me."

Ohtani responded in his media appearance by saying that “All of this has been a complete lie." He went on to claim that “Obviously, I never agreed to pay off the debt or to make payments to the bookmaker.”

Saddened

For his part, Ohtani said he has been saddened by the actions of perhaps his closest confidant since arriving and making a huge splash on the Major League Baseball scene. 

“I am very saddened and shocked someone I trusted has done this,” he said from the outset of his presser. “I have never bet on baseball or any other sports or asked someone to do it on my behalf. I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I did not know this was happening."

Moving forward

MLB has announced that its Department of Investigations has started an internal probe into the incident. It seems unlikely that Ohtani himself will face any further sanctions surrounding the wagering activity of his close confidant.

The scandal has shone a light on the potential that gambling can have on sports in general moving forward. According to Rep. Paul Tonko, "This situation clearly demonstrates the impact and harm that gambling addiction can inflict. The widespread legalization and promotion of sports gambling will only make this type of incident more common moving forward. We have an obligation to address the predatory practices of this industry and protect consumers."