Craig Carton has a simple explanation for how Ippei Mizuhara’s alleged massive betting scheme may have slipped by Shohei Ohtani: gambling addiction.
“Couple of things – don’t be surprised that Ohtani might not have known that Mizuhara was gambling at the levels he was – Compulsive gamblers are world class liars and hiders – When you read the transcript it is text book Gambling addiction – asking/begging for more credit…..” Carton wrote on X.
“Self deprecation about previous losses or bad beats, making promises to make regular payments that are far beyond your means, betting on fringe sports like college soccer(I once bet on Tijuana Dog Racing), making 19,000 wagers upwards of 25 bets a day of varying amounts and to further illustrate the desperation imagine betting over $100k on a game and then $10 dollars on a game – its probably all he had left. Amazingly there is still no proof of a single wager on baseball which does surprise me as does the notion that Ohtani had no idea that his bank,” he added.
Ohtani at his Dodgers press conference with his now ex-interpretor Ippei Mizuhura. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, lost more than $40 million through alleged sports betting over a 26-month span, according to a bombshell criminal complaint released by federal prosecutors Thursday.
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Mizuhara was charged with felony bank fraud fraud Thursday after being accused of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to cover gambling debts.
He allegedly placed about 19,000 bets, averaging roughly $12,800 per wager, ranging between $10 and $160,000, over a period from December 2021-January 2024.
Moderator Craig Carton speaks on stage during Diageo “Decisions” Virtual Reality Premiere Event at Samsung 837 on November 17, 2016 in New York City. Dave Kotinsky Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps
Mizuhara reportedly turned himself in to authorities on Friday.
He was released $25,000 bond, per The Athletic.
He’s next scheduled to appear in court on May 9.
Investigators found no evidence that Mizuhara bet on baseball, something that came as a shock to Carton.
“Amazingly, there is still no proof of a single wager on baseball which does surprise me as does the notion that Ohtani had no idea that his bank account had been drained of more than $16M,” Carton added. “Also, I didn’t read where the other $24M that Ippei lost came from in regards to paying the bookie. It’s an insidious addiction and someone should keep an eye on Ippei — the rate of suicide amongst gambling addicts is sadly very high.”
