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Mathew Bowyer, the bookmaker tied to the Shohei Ohtani interpreter scandal, has spoken publicly after his conviction. In an interview with Forbes, Bowyer claimed that illegal sports betting will continue to thrive even as regulated markets grow, pointing out that legal sportsbooks have not slowed demand for unlicensed options.
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Bowyer revealed the scale of his network, saying athletes made up nearly 20 percent of his clients. While he claimed to restrict players from betting on their own sports, the activity spread across major U.S. cities through underground bookmakers. His relationship with Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara began at a San Diego poker game in 2021, later spiraling into one of the biggest scandals professional baseball has faced.
Bowyer was sentenced in August to one year in prison followed by two years of supervised release. In addition, he must attend gambling addiction counseling and has already paid $1.6 million in restitution. Judge John Holcomb made clear that tax charges required jail time, though prosecutors sought a shorter 15-month term in light of Bowyer cooperation with federal investigations into Mizuhara and another bookmaker.
Following sentencing of one year, Bowyer issued an apology directly to Shohei Ohtani. He stated that Ohtani was innocent, had no involvement in the betting activity, and should not have suffered reputational harm from the scandal.
The Ohtani case is not isolated. In recent years, betting scandals have spread across multiple leagues. The NCAA opened an inquiry into 13 former basketball players accused of wagering on their own games. In 2024, the NBA permanently banned Jontay Porter for gambling violations, while several NFL athletes, including Calvin Ridley, were suspended. Bowyer warned that further scandals are inevitable, especially at the college level, estimating that half of professional athletes place bets in some form.
The American Gaming Association has highlighted the ongoing challenge. Illegal sportsbooks processed an estimated $84 billion in bets and $5 billion in revenue last year, compared to $149.9 billion legally wagered and $13.78 billion in licensed sportsbook revenue. Bowyer argued that the underground market continues to attract bettors at a massive scale, raising concerns about the ability of regulation to contain it.