Sports highest-paid player is finding himself in hot water as the M.L.B. announced it's launching a formal investigation into Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The move comes from claims that Ohtani used money to pay down gambling debts for his interpreter. No charges have been filed in the case, but it comes in a sport that has had its fair share of controversy surrounding sports betting.

Echo Park

Shohei Ohtani, a prominent player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and recognized as the highest-paid athlete in sports, is currently under formal investigation by Major League Baseball (M.L.B.). The investigation was initiated following allegations that Ohtani had used money to settle gambling debts for his interpreter. Although no legal charges have been brought against him at this time, the situation arises within a sport that has historically faced numerous controversies related to sports betting.

The investigation into Ohtani's conduct highlights the ongoing issues within baseball regarding betting and the personal conduct of its players. This comes at a time when Ohtani is at the peak of his career, making the allegations particularly significant for both the player and the sport as a whole.



Shohei Ohtani in hot water over interpreter's gambling habit

In December, Shohei Ohtani made international headlines for money potentially going into his account of reported $700 million for a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but now he's in hot water from money that has come out of his account. Let's just get to the truth. What exactly happened? Ohtani's interpreter Ipe Mizuhara allegedly used $4.5 million of Ohtani's money to pay off gambling debts to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. According to ESPN, Ohtani had learned of his debts and agreed to bail him out by wiring funds to an associate of Mizuhara's alleged bookmaker. But soon after that, Mizuhara retracted that version of events, according to ESPN, and said Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and had not transferred money on his behalf. Professional athletes don't monitor their bank accounts. Jeff Ifrah is a former federal prosecutor who now represents professional athletes as an attorney. Ifrah says Ohtani's camp has distanced themselves from his interpreter due to optics, saying the money was stolen from his account instead. There have been no allegations that betting occurred on baseball games. I think they were a little too quick to react to this, and they really underestimated what the media and public's response would be to it. It only gets worse when you leave it festered. Baseball has come under intense scrutiny for betting after would-be Hall of Famer Pete Rose was banished from the game for allegedly betting on games he had played in. One of the reasons this case has gotten so much attention, says Ifrah. According to the LA Times, evidence on what really happened has been slow to materialize, and Ohtani's camp has not responded to questions about the alleged nature of the theft. It becomes more common in the U.S. to have regulated sports betting. I think the reaction to someone being involved in gambling might be a little less shocking. Dan Grossman, Scripps News.

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