Mathew Bowyer, the bookmaker at the center of the betting scandal involving MLB star Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, says illegal sports betting is not disappearing despite his conviction, according to Forbes. Regulated betting doesn't stem the flow to unregulated and unlicensed sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
- Illegal sportsbooks generated $84 billion in wagers last year, showing the scale of activity beyond regulated markets.
- Mathew Bowyer was linked to Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who placed $326 million in bets and accrued $40.2 million in gambling debt.
- Betting scandals continue across sports, with the NCAA, NBA, and NFL all confronting high-profile cases.
Bowyer admitted to taking $326 million in wagers from Ippei Mizuhara, who accumulated $40.2 million in gambling debt, and claims he managed $1 billion in bets from 1,200 clients in one year. The American Gaming Association estimates illegal sportsbooks handled $84 billion in bets and $5 billion in revenue over the past year, compared to $13.78 billion in legal sportsbook revenue from $149.9 billion wagered.
Bowyer described to Forbes an underground network of bookmakers in major U.S. cities. He said athletes represented up to 20% of his clientele, though he barred them from betting on their own sports. He met Mizuhara at a San Diego poker game in 2021, marking the beginning of one of the largest gambling scandals to hit professional baseball.
The Ohtani case is one of a growing list of high-profile betting controversies across major sports. The NCAA recently launched an investigation into 13 former basketball players accused of wagering on their own games.
The NBA banned Jontay Porter in 2024 for betting violations, and several NFL players, including Calvin Ridley, have faced suspensions. Bowyer believes more scandals are coming, especially at the college level, estimating that half of professional athletes wager in some form.
Sentencing and apology to Ohtani
In August, Bowyer was sentenced to a year in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He must also undergo counseling for gambling addiction and has already paid $1.6 million in restitution.
Judge John Holcomb stressed that the tax charges required incarceration, though prosecutors sought a reduced 15-month term in recognition of Bowyer's cooperation in cases against Mizuhara and another bookmaker.
Following the hearing, Bowyer issued a public apology to Ohtani, stating the superstar was innocent and undeserving of reputational damage from the case.
NFL targets prediction market restrictions
The Bowyer case highlights broader industry concerns about the integrity of betting markets, a theme reflected in the NFL's latest policy decisions. League officials clarified that players, coaches, and staff are prohibited from engaging in NFL prediction markets offered by platforms such as Kalshi and Robinhood, which the league says effectively mirror sports betting.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulates prediction contracts, but leagues remain uneasy about potential gaps in oversight. Among Kalshi's new contracts are wagers on whether specific players will start or miss games, bets that legal sportsbooks are barred from offering.
NFL officials also claim prediction markets do not offer the protections found in legal bookmaking, including responsible gambling resources and prohibited categories of bets. They cautioned that prediction markets are open to manipulation or falsification without adequate regulation.
