Shohei Ohtani gambling investigation: Dodgers star won't be banned after MLB closes probe

The investigation surrounding baseball's biggest star has come to a close.

Shohei Ohtani was part of a probe into allegations of gambling for his connection to interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who had allegedly stolen money from Ohtani to pay off extensive gambling debts.

On Tuesday, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges in federal court, according to ESPN. He is alleged to have stolen more than $16 million out of Ohtani's account to pay for gambling debts. He also told the judge he did not report the money in his taxes, according to ESPN.

Major League Baseball, as well as federal investigators, concluded Ohtani was the victim in everything.

MORE: Everything to know about Ippei Mizuhara theft, gambling scandal

Gambling on baseball carries the potential punishment of a lifetime ban, as was the punishment for players like Pete Rose and Tucupita Marcano.

Here's what you need to know about the investigation.

Shohei Ohtani interpreter gambling scandal

At the beginning of the 2024 season, Ohtani's interpreter was alleged to have lost millions gambling with Mathew Bowyer, a Southern California bookmaker under federal investigation. 

Mizuhara was alleged to have met Bowyer in a poker game in 2021 and began placing bets on sports, though he maintained he never bet on baseball. He began placing bets through credit from Bowyer. By 2022, Mizuhara had amassed over $1 million in gambling debts, and it only climbed from there.

In 2023, Ohtani reportedly agreed to pay off Mizuhara's gambling debt, which had reached at least $4.5 million. However, Mizuhara's debts continued to climb, and he allegedly began to use his connection with Ohtani to access his bank account and transfer funds to the bookmaking operation to pay off his debts.

MORE: Ippei Mizuhara gambling timeline

Mizuhara is alleged to have wired more than $16 million from Ohtani's bank accounts to pay off his gambling debts. 

Federal authorities began to investigate Mizuhara's gambling in January, and found Ohtani's name and the word, "loan" connected in records of wire transfers. When the news first broke on March 19, Ohtani's spokesperson and Mizuhara attempted to clear the news saying Ohtani had transferred money to clear his gambling debt.

However, the story changed the next day to saying Ohtani was the victim of a massive theft and that the matter would be turned over to the authorities. Ohtani's spokesperson said the star was not fully aware of the situation since Mizuhara controlled all the information that went to him as his interpreter. Mizuhara was fired on March 20.

Major League Baseball opened its investigation March 22.

Shohei Ohtani gambling investigation

Early in the investigation, it was made clear Ohtani in comments from Mizuhara that Ohtani was the victim and had not been involved in placing any of the bets.

"I worked for Victim A [Ohtani] and I had access to his bank account and I had fallen into major gambling debt, and the only way that I could think of was to use his money. I had access to Bank A. So I went ahead and wired money for my gambling debt with his bank account," Mizuhara told U.S. district judge John W. Holcomb during his federal court hearing on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

Major League Baseball closed its investigation into Ohtani on Tuesday, announcing in a statement that based on everything it had collected along with the results from the federal investigation, it viewed Ohtani as a victim. The league announced it would be closing its investigation after Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges during a change-of-plea hearing on Tuesday.

"Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed," MLB said in the statement.

The Dodgers issued a statement of their own following the one from MLB:

With today's plea in the criminal proceedings against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shohei and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.

Ohtani also sent out a statement through a spokesperson:

Now that the investigation has been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family. I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence.

This has been a uniquely challenging time, so I am especially grateful for my support team — my family, agent, agency, lawyers, and advisors along with the entire Dodger organization, who showed endless support throughout this process.

It's time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.

Did Shohei Ohtani bet on baseball?

Ohtani did not bet on baseball. Ohtani was considered a victim in the case, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada, a sentiment shared in the statement by Major League Baseball.

MLB and federal investigators concluded based on statements from Mizuhara that Ohtani was not involved in any of the gambling. 

Shohei Ohtani contract

The scandal came up before the start of Ohtani's first season with the Dodgers. He signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with Los Angeles in the offseason.

The contract is largely deferred, with the first 10 years of his contract paying him only $2 million per season. He will make an extra $68 million each year for another 10 years after the end of his current deal.

Shohei Ohtani stats

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