Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara reportedly paid off gambling debts by making a series of $500,000 deposits into marker accounts at Resort World casinos based in Las Vegas and California.
According to an ESPN report, the accounts were linked to an associate of bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who is currently at the center of a federal investigation.
Mizurhara funneled the funds through Resorts World in Las Vegas and Pechanga Resort Casino in Southern California. Some of the funds were forwarded to Bowyer, and the two men turned the money into playing chips, used those to bet, and eventually cashed them out.
The Department of Justice accuses Mizuhara of stealing more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to help pay off $40.7 million of gambling debts incurred by Mizuhara beginning in 2021.
The DOJ stated that Ohtani had no involvement in sports betting and was not implicated. Mizuhara faces a 30-year sentence for committing bank fraud.
Under investigation
Neither Bowyer nor his associate have been named in any accessible indictments, but Bowyer’s home was raided by federal agents in Oct. 2023, and evidence obtained showed he was involved in bookmaking. As a result, Bowyer is banned from entering casinos across America.
Bowyer lost nearly $8 million at Resorts World from June 2022 through October 2023, according to the report. Bowyer, his wife, friends, and associates made multiple trips per month to Resorts World to live a “whale” lifestyle, gambling millions of dollars and being treated to dinners, shows, and other perks.
Resorts World, meanwhile, is under a federal investigation for “illegal sports bookmaking organizations operating in Southern California, and the laundering of the proceeds of these operations through casinos in Las Vegas,” according to ESPN.
Resorts World was served a federal grand jury subpoena last year looking for “documents relating to the Company's Anti-Money Laundering policies, Know Your Customer practices, policies and practices relating to extensions of credit, comps or other benefits, use of promotional chips, and other customer transactions,” the Nevada Current reported.
Typical relationship
Federal authorities aren’t revealing much about the relationship between Mizuhara and Bowyer that dates back to Dec. 2021, but IRS special agent Tyler Hatcher told ESPN that it was “typical” behavior of a bookie.
Mizuhara, according to the DOJ’s filing, wagered $182,935,206 and totaled $142,256,769 in losing bets. Authorities found that Mizuhara, who turned himself in on April 12, sent multiple texts to Bowyer, including one that stated “It’s over for me."
