The news in the waning days of March that pitted baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani against his just-fired translator and erstwhile friend, Ippei Mizuhara, has gotten plenty of ink.
But a third leg in the story belongs to Matt Bowyer, a bookmaker, and his team, which have been under federal investigation for several years, an unnamed source told Sports Handle. Bowyer’s name surfaced in conjunction with the Ohtani story.
Mizuhara placed bets through Bowyer’s company—the two met at a poker game in 2021—getting in deepening financial troubles. His debts reached $4.5 million, perhaps more, he told ESPN.
He paid off some if not all the debt through a series of wire transfers to an unnamed associate of Bowyer, who the feds tie to an illegal sports betting ring in southern California. The wires came out of Ohtani’s account.
Payments for losses did not get straight to Bowyer. Carriers performed the task. Bowyer opened accounts in the U.S. and Costa Rica, the source said.
Anyone who has been immersed in the Las Vegas sports betting scene over the last decade will immediately recognize Bowyer’s name, according to the source. The feds raided Bowyer’s California home, where they seized millions of dollars in cash, according to multiple sources.
The associate, according to the Nevada Current, served as Bowyer’s host at Resorts World.
The warrant authorized federal investigators to search devices for any records that showed Bowyer participating in illegal gambling. Law enforcement grabbed any records and documentation associated with activities dealing with offshore websites.
