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 irregularities 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 Sports Handle.
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. On Friday, MLB announced that the league is formally launching a probe into the situation.
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, a former minor leaguer with the Oakland A’s who retired from baseball in 2001. 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 5v6a32
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. 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, Sports Handle has been unable to confirm the identity of Bowyer’s associate. But a source who spoke to Sports Handle on a condition of anonymity indicated that Bowyer opened multiple s 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 s in the U.S. and Costa Rica, according to the source, using the names of other associates. One , the source told Sports Handle on Wednesday, contained the name of Bowyer’s brother.
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 the Los Angeles Times that her client “never met, spoke with, or texted, or had in any way with Ohtani.” Bass did not return a request from Sports Handle for comment.
One question to ponder is if Bowyer used the offshore s as a hedging mechanism to lay off certain wagers placed in Vegas, according to a sports betting advisor who spoke with Sports Handle. 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 furniture,” 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.
Mizuhara told ESPN he met Bowyer in 2021 at a San Diego poker game.
Investigation against Bowyer deepens 92d1v
Anyone who has been immersed in the Las Vegas sports betting scene over the last decade will immediately recognize Bowyer’s name, according to a source who spoke to Sports Handle on the condition of anonymity. Last October, federal investigators raided Bowyer’s home in California, where they seized millions of dollars in cash, according to multiple sources.
It wasn’t the first time the feds visited Bowyer. Federal law enforcement seized cash and bank records from Bowyer’s residence several years ago, the confidential source told Sports Handle.
From the October raid, Sports Handle obtained a warrant that authorized federal law enforcement to seize the phone of a Bowyer associate. The associate, according to the Nevada Current, served as Bowyer’s host at Resorts World.
The warrant authorized federal investigators to search the device for any records that constituted violations of operating an illegal gambling business involving Bowyer and two others. The warrant also enabled law enforcement to seize any records, messages, and emails associated with violations of money laundering, structuring, and activities related to offshore websites.
Gambler Matt Bowyer, whose Cali home was raided by federal agents last month, the same day his @ResortsWorldLV host's phone was seized by feds, is being represented by Irvine federal criminal defense attorney Diane Bass, a source confirms.
— Dana Resnick Gentry (@DanaGentryLV) November 16, 2023
According to a federal indictment, Nix facilitated the illegal sports wagers through Sand Island Sports, a company located in Costa Rica. Nix and longtime business partner Edon Kagasoff established an infrastructure where their clients could place wagers through a website and call center operated by the Costa Rican company. Kagasoff was sentenced to six months probation and fined $3 million last July.
The federal probe has intensified in recent weeks after Sibella pleaded guilty in January to federal anti-money laundering charges. While employed at MGM, Sibella allowed Nix to gamble at MGM Grand and d properties with illicit proceeds, according to the plea agreement. Last week, federal law enforcement officials visited Resort World, where they interviewed several executives on Bowyer’s alleged ties to the illegal enterprise, according to the Current.
At the same time, two Las Vegas casinos, MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan, entered into settlements that require them to pay a combined $7.45 million, according to the Justice Department. It should be noted that BetMGM, an online gambling venture tly owned by MGM Resorts and Entain, has not been named in the investigations.
Breaking: A sentencing hearing for Wayne Nix has been delayed till Sept. 25, a spokesman from the U.S. Attorney's Office Cent District of Calif told @sports_handle Nix's hearing previously had been scheduled for March 6. Nix has pled guilty in connection w running an illegal book pic.twitter.com/DhmXeyfSUX
— Matt Rybaltowski (@MattRybaltowski) March 5, 2024
As prominent sports betting stakeholders converged on The Strip for last fall’s Global Gaming Expo, rumors began to circulate that Bowyer received a ban from Resorts World. Days after the conference, Sports Handle learned that Bowyer was among a bevy of VIP sports bettors who were prohibited from entering the sportsbook on a busy October Saturday. Consequently, Resorts World lost business from its preferred high rollers, as the handle plunged approximately 70% from a typical college football slate.
A Resorts World spokesman did not return a request to comment on Thursday.
Bowyer, according to a source, has a proclivity for making large wagers. Five years ago, Bowyer placed a six-figure wager on Super Bowl LII, a game won by the Patriots 13-3 over the Rams. The bet represented one of the largest wagers the sportsbook took on the week. Though Bowyer has garnered a reputation as a “whale” in Vegas circles, his role as an illegal bookmaker just recently came to light before Wednesday’s report.
Bowyer could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
Massive debts 6x1a34
Data reviewed by ESPN indicated that an associate of Bowyer received two payments from Ohtani’s via wire transfer. Each payment totaled $500,000, ESPN reported. Ohtani did not place any bets with the ring, according to Mizuhara, who later told ESPN that there were several other wire transfers.
The allegations against Bowyer create the latest wrinkle in one of the most complex sports betting schemes since mobster Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal left Vegas in the 1980s. Portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1995 film Casino, Rosenthal surreptitiously ran the sportsbook at the now defunct Stardust Resort & Casino. Once described by Sports Illustrated as the “greatest living expert on sports gambling,” Rosenthal spent some of his later years as a consultant for several offshore sportsbooks.
Shohei Ohtani's longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara said he "will never do sports betting ever again."
Mizuhara was fired after questions surrounding at least $4.5M in wire transfers sent from Ohtani's bank to a bookmaking operation.
Read more ⬇️
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) March 21, 2024
The nexus with the offshore market has played an integral role in the bookmaking operation founded by Nix in the early-2000s. Nix pleaded guilty in 2022 to operating an illegal gambling business and submitting a false tax return.
Nix faced sentencing on March 6 before a judge in the U.S District Court of Central California. A day before learning his fate, Nix saw his hearing moved to September, according to a spokesman from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Offshore ramifications 1i3s2g
During a 90-minute interview with ESPN, Mizuhara insisted that he did not wager on baseball with the ring, limiting his bets to NCAA football, NBA, NFL, and soccer matches. Ohtani is not currently facing discipline an MLB official told The Athletic on Wednesday.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” the West Hollywood law firm of Berk Brettler said in a statement.
With six months until the Nix sentencing hearing, the nexus with the offshore market may play an integral role in the investigation. The reverberations could be felt in our nation’s capital. Earlier this week, U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko introduced the SAFE Bet Act, a proposed bill that would require states with legal sports betting to meet minimum federal standards in advertising, affordability, and data collection through artificial intelligence.
Here's the full report on the Tonko press conference from @jeffedelstein … https://t.co/SVwAohpWF8 https://t.co/hNat5txSOl
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) March 19, 2024
According to a legislative outline of the act, states that intend to offer sports betting must submit an application to the U.S. Attorney General’s office. Applications must include “detailed attestations” that show how a state has met the minimum standards. The proposal comes nearly two years after the American Gaming Association sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Justice Department to crack down on the offshore market.
Speaking at a 2022 conference before state gambling legislators, AGA President Bill Miller expressed cautious optimism that the efforts could result in indictments of offshore websites that accept wagers from U.S. bettors. The conference took place at Resorts World, of all places.
“While prosecutions and convictions may be difficult to secure, the AGA firmly believes that the
Department can make a strong and meaningful statement by investigating and indicting the largest
offshore operations that openly violate federal and state laws,” Miller wrote. “This action would provide much-needed clarity that these websites are criminal enterprises, which can help to deter the American public from visiting these sites and prompt businesses to take appropriate action to ensure they are not ing them.”
