Gambling prosecutions in Asia touched two U.S. Major League Baseball teams last week as a newly signed St. Louis Cardinals reliever was fined and the brother of a Texas Rangers pitcher was arrested.
A Seoul court fined newly signed St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seung Hwan Oh 10 million won ($8,300) for breaking South Korean gambling laws by betting heavily at a Macau casino. Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Lim Chang-yong, Oh’s ex-teammate with South Korean club Samsung Lions, was also fined the same amount, according to an Associated Press report.
The Korean Baseball Organization earlier hit both players with half-season bans after prosecutors charged them for betting around 40 million won ($33,000) each at a casino in Macau in 2014.
South Korea has strict laws against its citizens gambling anywhere but at one of 17 domestic casinos. Oh signed with the Cardinals earlier this month on a one-year contract with a club option for a second year.
Meanwhile, Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish released a press statement last week asserting that he has never been involved in gambling activities that led to the arrest of his younger brother, Sho Darvish, in connection with an alleged illegal gambling ring in Japan that reportedly took more than 1,800 bets on MLB games and professional baseball games in Japan.
“I am certain that they will find that I had no involvement in this matter whatsoever,” Darvish said in the statement through his representatives at the Wasserman Media Group.
The Japan Times said Osaka police have not accused Yu Darvish of any wrongdoing. MLB officials are looking into the situation under standard protocols.
