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Ippei Mizuhara finally got his day in court. He was the disgraced translator of Shohei Ohtani, and now he’ll be an inmate in a California prison for years to come.
We’re going to update you on the Mizuhara story here, but more than that, we’ll talk about betting scandals at-large. Mizuhara was the first high-profile case, but many have followed — and others are likely creeping in the shadows, daring to come public as we write this. Let’s discuss what’s going on.
Mizuhara Sentenced To Almost Five Years
Earlier this month, Mizuhara was in a Santa Ana, California courtroom when he heard the verdict “guilt as charged.” He was sentenced to 57 months in prison and also ordered to return nearly $17 million that he’d stolen from the star athlete he translated for and an additional $1 million to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in unpaid taxes.
“Mr. Mizuhara had a unique position of trust that gave him power, brought him fame, and paid him well,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job to steal millions of dollars from his friend and confidant.”
We probably don’t have to rehash much of the story but the gist was this: Mizuhara stole from Ohtani to pay back gambling debts. He was a horrible bettor and a flat-out addict. At times, Mizuhara even impersonated Ohtani to bank employees to swindle money out of the MLB star’ accounts.
However, here’s the twist: California sports betting is illegal. The Golden State is one of 11 without a legal sports betting market. So how was Mizuhara gambling? Through an illegal bookie ring that had ties far beyond Los Angeles. This is where the floodgates opened across the country (and more to come likely).
Resorts World Las Vegas Tier To Illegal Booking Operation
Mizuhara was busted because of a larger sting operation against the illegal bookie he was using. The operation is believed to have been partially perpetrated by Mathew Bowyer. He personally took bets from the translator. Bowyer would then take this money to Resorts World — a new Las Vegas betting establishment. There, he would effectively “wash” the money by turning it into playing chips.
Do not think Resorts World is an innocent bystander in all of this. It’s alleged they knew of the illegal operation and actually accommodated it. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has an active complaint against the casino for turning a blind eye to the suspicious flow of money. The casino turned a regular $5000 credit line for Bowyer to a $1 million without vetting his source of income.
Don’t be surprised if regulators come down hard on the casino. Maybe not a revocation of their gambling license, but a hefty price tag. Las Vegas casinos have long had mob ties so any hint of money laundering in the modern era is dealt with promptly.
Bowyer is already paying the price for his role in the scandal. In August 2024, he pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and falsifying a tax return. He will be sentenced on April 4 — his birthday.
However, what he said to the media recently was an absolute bombshell. Even if he’s half right, the world of sports could be upended. Keep reading cause this one’s juicy.
Bowyer Says More Players Are Involved In Illegal Betting
Since being busted, Bowyer has kept a low profile. However, he did grant one interview to the New York Post this year — and held nothing back. Bowyer mentioned he felt guilty for not stopping from Mizuhara betting despite his obvious addiction. “It was very obvious after some time he was stealing money and not asking Ohtani for permission,” he said to the Post.
He also claimed to have taken bets for Pete Rose, the poster boy of illegal betting scandals involving pro players. Bowyer went as far as to say he cut off Rose from betting once he started exceeding $1000 bets. But that was only a warm up for the real bombshell — that half of current professional athletes bet on sports.
“I know some of them are still betting on sports…if 50 percent are gambling, I would think 10 percent of those are compulsive gamblers.”
With that said, Bowyer said maybe 3 percent are betting on their own sport. So this would actually make sense. Pro athletes are largely banned from betting on any sport — and the major online betting apps will “rat them out” to teams and league offices if they detect it. So betting illegally is the only way for them to get action without ramifications (unless busted, of course).
Bowyer also said he doesn’t believe games are fixed. Matter of fact, he was taken aback by the accusation against Terry Rozier that he has influenced betting outcomes in NBA games. Rozier is currently under investigation for it — but nothing is official.
“I was very surprised because he’s filthy rich and usually the people that tend to be doing these things aren’t on $90 million contracts,” Bowyer said.
We have a sneaking suspicion that Bowyer is telling more truth than fiction. Time will tell but we fully expect more scandals to come out. Like we’ve said, Mizuhara just opened the gates to more muddy waters underneath the surface.
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