Shohei Ohtani betting scandal: Do former Angels teammates believe the AL MVP gambled on games?

Shohei Ohtani betting scandal: Do former Angels teammates believe the AL MVP gambled on games?

Ohtani and a former interpreter are in hot water

The start of Ohtani's Dodgers career has been controversial.

The start of Ohtani’s Dodgers career has been controversial.Lapresse

More and more details continue to emerge in the aftermath of a scandal involving Major League Baseball‘s megastar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers slugger has found himself in a firestorm after Los Angeles fired his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara — finding that he transferred $4.5 million to a southern California bookmaking operation from a bank account belonging to Ohtani, leading many to question how much the two-time AL MVP knew and whether he himself placed bets, in direct violation of longstanding MLB rules.

Ohtani has not been directly implicated, and his lawyers have attempted to get out in front of the controversy by saying the 29-year-old was the victim of “massive theft.” Ohtani has since received more support in his corner from the Los Angeles Angels‘ clubhouse, as one report Friday revealed.

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Shohei Ohtani shows true character with selfless act while nobody was looking

Ohtani’s teammates “surprised” but convinced of his innocence

According to the Orange County Register‘s Jeff Fletcher, Ohtani’s old friends at Angel Stadium were surprised to learn of Mizuhara‘s firing and the swirling scandal around their former teammate, who has valued his privacy above all else since moving to North America in 2018. Many did not even know the identity of Ohtani’s wife until this month, shortly before the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres opened the 2024 season with a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea.

However, the majority opinion appeared to be that Ohtani has little to no knowledge of Mizuhara’s alleged activities with the bookmaker. Angels teammates — all of whom wished to remain anonymous, per Fletcher — insisted that Ohtani paid virtually no attention to other sports besides baseball, such was the Japanese star’s commitment to perfecting his craft at the plate and on the mound.

A growing problem in the game

Ohtani’s entanglement in an unsavory scandal has raised a litany of questions about the continued impact of legalizing sports betting in the United States. Although gambling on sporting events remains illegal in California, it is now permissible in 37 states — and the major North American sports leagues are very much on board.

Various odds and betting lines are becoming an integral part of MLB, NBA, and NFL broadcasts, encouraging viewers to part with a little money to stand the chance of making a lot back. The partnerships with gambling businesses are a slippery slope — it can be seen as leagues “sanctioning” fans and players to bet on games, which has long been a taboo topic in North America. In baseball alone, the sport’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose remains officially banned for life and ineligible for Hall of Fame induction because of bets he placed on the Cinicinnati Reds when he played for and managed the team.

A similar scandal involving Ohtani, the face of the sport, is a nightmare scenario for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, and it might no go away anytime soon.

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