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The bookie for Ippei Mizuhara, who admitted to stealing millions from Shohei Ohtani, reported in an interview with ESPN that the former interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodgers star showed signs of problem gambling within 30 days of betting with him.
“He was absolutely bananas, the amount of bets he was making,” Mathew Bowyer reported in a new episode of “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani” released Tuesday.
“He was trying to dig out a hole, and that hole made him even more poor of a gambler because he’s betting big payout stuff.”
But the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted Mizuhara’s case told ESPN he did not believe Mizuhara’s actions could solely be explained by his gambling addiction.
The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani
In a six-episode series, 30 for 30 Podcasts examines how Shohei Ohtani’s relationship with his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara unraveled amid a massive sports betting scheme. Listen now.
“I am not convinced he was just a gambling addict and had no choice,” reported E. Martín Estrada, former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “I think it’s more he got this great opportunity, but then he saw a bigger opportunity to enrich himself and took advantage of that opportunity.”
Mizuhara admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts to Bowyer. The bookie reported he recognized Mizuhara’s behavior because he himself is a compulsive gambler, but the interpreter’s betting still surprised him.
“Listen, I gambled bigger than most, right? I sleep, you know, I have a life too. He definitely was betting all night long, all the time,” Bowyer reported. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return and is serving a 57-month prison sentence at a low-security federal prison in central Pennsylvania. He will be eligible for parole in 2029. Bowyer pleaded guilty to money laundering, running an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return. He served seven months of a yearlong sentence and was released from federal custody in May.
Nevada casinos have agreed to pay about $34 million in fines following a state investigation that found they failed to prevent Bowyer from laundering millions of dollars, including Ohtani’s money. The Nevada Gaming Commission permanently banned Bowyer from entering Nevada casinos in April, making him one of about three dozen living people in the state’s “black book.”
“Multiple disciplinary complaints have been filed against Nevada casino licensees stemming from the activities of Mr. Bowyer,” the Gaming Commission wrote in its order banning Bowyer. “Mr. Bowyer used illicit funds obtained from his bookmaking activities to wager millions of dollars at casino properties while concealing the source of those funds and purporting to be a legitimate business owner.”
In the 30 for 30 podcast, Bowyer described how he laundered money through casinos.
“Sometimes I would gamble solely to turn a cashier’s check into cash, so that I could wash money,” he reported. “Let’s say I lost 70 grand but I brought $500,000. I got $430,000 coming to me, right?”
When asked which casinos he used to launder money, Bowyer told ESPN, “Any and all.”
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Federal investigators found casino chips from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Resorts World Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, The Venetian Las Vegas and several other casinos when they raided Bowyer’s home in October 2023, according to a search warrant inventory obtained by ESPN.
In July, the owners of The Venetian agreed to pay $7.2 million in fines after the state found Bowyer made 30 trips and deposited more than $22 million at the casino between 2019 and 2021. According to a complaint filed by the state, Bowyer wagered millions of dollars and lost more than $3 million. At least one employee at the casino was aware that Bowyer was an illegal bookmaker and the casino failed to follow its anti-money laundering program, according to investigators.
In settlements with the Gaming Commission, Caesars Entertainment agreed to a $7.8 million fine, while MGM Resorts International, which owns The Cosmopolitan, paid an $8.5 million fine and Resorts World Las Vegas accepted a $10.5 million fine.
“The casino licensees allowed Mr. Bowyer to wager without adequately verifying his source of income as required by the Bank Secrecy Act,” the Gaming Commission wrote.
State investigators determined Bowyer deposited more than $4 million at Caesars Entertainment properties between 2017 and 2021.
“There is no customer that’s worth illegitimate profits,” Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, reported at a Nevada Gaming Control Board hearing last November. “We didn’t catch Bowyer and we should have.”
ESPN researcher John Mastroberardino contributed to this story.
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