The Shohei Ohtani Betting Scandal- We will probably never know

Did Shohei Ohtani bet and use his interpreter to take the fall, or is his interpreter a gambling addict who stole from Ohtani to get himself out of a hole?

Shohei Ohtani had a historic 2023 season. With the Japanese National Team, Ohtani won the World Baseball Classic, earning the MVP Award for the tournament, and with the Angels, he was unanimously voted as the American League MVP. Following his historic season, Ohtani signed a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest contract in sports history. 

Ohtani isn't just an incredible two-way player who can pitch at the top level when healthy and also hit at the top level, but he is also a global sports star with a massive reach and cult of personality. Ohtani brings in massive viewership to games he plays in from his native Japan. Games that Ohtani plays in have behind-the-plate advertisements for Japanese companies. Japan and the baseball world love Ohtani. Baseball fans view him as a selfless dedicated athlete. Despite the $700 million headline contract, Ohtani has deferred 97% of his contract until retirement so the Dodgers can have the money to build a World Series-winning team around him while he earns $2 million per year while under contract. Additionally, when Ohtani joined the league at the age of 23, he earned a league minimum salary because of his age, despite the far more lucrative offers he had to stay in Japan, and when Ohtani played in Japan, he gave his salary to his parents and gave himself a $1000 monthly allowance.

Ohtani is universally known as an athlete with an exceptional work ethic that is also incredibly humble. That is why it is so unusual that he is now shrouded in controversy. The story unfolded after the Los Angeles Times uncovered Ohtani's name in an investigation of bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. 

There are two stories to the scandal. Originally, a spokesperson for Ohtani said that Ohtani paid Mizuhara's gambling debts that he didn't know about until Mizuhara revealed the hole he put himself in – Ohtani's representatives have since taken back that story. In an ESPN interview, Mizuhara stated that he didn't bet on baseball. Betting on baseball would result in a lifetime ban for Shohei Ohtani if he was found guilty. Mizuhara confirmed the spokesperson's original comments and also said that he didn't know about the illegality of his betting, is a gambling addict, and will never bet again. The new official story is that Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole money from Ohtani's bank account to pay bookies to whom he incurred debts. Allegedly, Mizuhara stole $4.5 million from Ohtani over nine betting loan payments behind Shohei Ohtani's back. Officially, Ohtani never knew of these thefts until the story broke and is a true victim. Ohtani in a press conference later said how he was shocked about the theft and how he never betted.

Due to the publicity, different accounts of the story, and implications that Shohei did in fact bet, the MLB and IRS are currently investigating the matter. Although there is no evidence to suggest that Ohtani bet, the court of public opinion won't stop on its search to find answers. There are rumors and speculation that Ohtani did in fact bet and used Mizuhara as his fall guy; however, we likely will never learn the truth. Even if Ohtani is guilty of betting, his value to the league makes punishment unlikely. As Shohei Ohtani falls into a betting scandal, it should be noted the growing occurrence of betting in the general public and for professional athletes internationally and over a variety of sports. Ultimately, with the increasing legalization of sports betting, there have been more players entering professional sports with gambling issues, resulting in suspensions, bans, and fines, and in the future scandals like the Ohtani one are likely to be much more prominent.

Ben Feuer