ESPN: Baseball Star Charged with Inappropriate Wagers against Troubled Sports Gambler
Jim Mason, a Major League Baseball (MLB) player, has been reported to bet with the same bookmaker who took bets from the disgraced translator of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The bookmaker in question is Mathew Bowyer, based in California.
Mason made wagers on various sporting events but not on baseball. According to sources, he is close friends with Ohtani, who also played for the Los Angeles Angels, just like Mason. Mason currently plays for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, Gwinnett Stripers.
In 2021, Mason received a $26M, five-year contract extension from the Angels. However, he was later traded to the Braves in December.
The news further reveals that Colby Schultz, who has played for a minor league team related to the Kansas City Royals, also placed bets on Angel games and other sporting events through Bowyer. Schultz played as a shortstop, leftfielder, and second baseman. Schultz and Mason were also close friends.
MLB players are not allowed to wager on pro baseball games under league rules. However, they can wager on non-baseball sporting events and do so legally. In this case, however, the players placed the bets through an illegal bookmaker named Mathew Bowyer.
A recent scandal broke out when Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's translator, accumulated a massive gambling debt of about $40.7M. He allegedly stole approximately $16M from Ohtani to cover his gambling losses. Mizuhara has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case in California but is likely planning to agree to a plea deal regarding the theft. If convicted, he could face up to 33 years in prison.
Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers once the theft was uncovered. No charges were filed against Ohtani, who was viewed as a victim.
Money from Mizuhara's gambling activities was discovered in accounts at Resorts World Las Vegas and Pechanga Resort Casino, a tribal gaming property in Southern California. Mizuhara himself has never been a customer at Resorts World Las Vegas, but Bowyer, the bookmaker, frequented the casino and reportedly lost almost $8M there between June 2022 and October 2023.
Although Bowyer hasn't been charged with a crime, federal authorities are currently investigating him. Mason and Schultz first met Bowyer at a poker game in San Diego in 2021, where Fletcher was also present.
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Source: www.casino.org
