Major League Baseball’s gambling policy bars “any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee” from betting on baseball or making illegal bets on any other sport.
While sports betting has been legalised in a majority of US states, online betting and retail sportsbooks remain illegal in California.
Japan’s Ohtani, who has been likened to a modern-day version of Babe Ruth, joined the Dodgers in December in a 10-year deal worth US$700 million after playing six Major League Baseball seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
He is with the Dodgers in Seoul for a season-opening series against the San Diego Padres.
According to the Times, federal agents raided Bowyer’s Orange County, California, home last year.
He has not been charged with a crime, although the Times reported that Bowyer has appeared in previous court filings and had a US$1.75 million judgment against him for defaulting on a line of credit issued to him by a Connecticut casino.
Diane Bass, a lawyer for Bowyer, told the newspaper that he “never met, spoke with, or texted, or had contact in any way with Shohei Ohtani”.
Mizuhara, who was born in Japan but was brought up in Southern California, became Ohtani’s personal interpreter when he signed with the Angels in 2017 and followed him to the Dodgers.
He has been a close companion of Ohtani, who has emerged as the global face of MLB.
Ohtani’s revelation in February that he was married captivated Japan, and his every move this week in South Korea has been headline news.
As Ohtani’s star has risen, Mizuhara has been by his side, the two often arriving together at the ballpark for games and training and spending time together away from team facilities as well.
Source: CNA
