Over in the Golden State, a bookmaker with somewhat direct ties to one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars (perhaps its largest), has agreed to plead to federal charges. Per a recent update, the Orange County bookmaker who took millions of dollars in sports bets from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges. This is according to federal prosecutors announced Thursday, August 1st. Mathew Bowyer, 49, of San Juan Capistrano faces a maximum sentence of 18 years in federal prison on charges of operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. Bowyer, who also took bets from current and former professional athletes, is expected to plead guilty on August 9th in federal court. “Mr. Bowyer is looking forward to accepting responsibility for his actions,” his attorney, Diane Bass, said.
For this report, SBS will be going over what to look for from the latest gaming news coming from California along with even more notes and info regarding Golden State gaming updates.
According to the report, for at least five years, Bowyer operated an illegal gambling operation that at times had more than 700 bettors. This was before it was shut down in October, according to the 40-page plea agreement. Among his clients was Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who admittedly stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay down more than $40 million in gambling losses to Bowyer. Prosecutors say Mizuhara placed 19,000 bets with Bowyer’s operation, which on a regular basis would increase his betting limits. Ohtani, the star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his lawyer insisted from the outset that he never placed sports bets and he had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s activities. A source familiar with Bowyer said Mizuhara met the bookmaker in 2021 through a mutual friend in San Diego after a Padres game.
Per the Silicon Valley report, they were in a hotel lobby and Mizuhara was placing a bet on his cell phone with another bookie. The friend overhead Mizuhara walked over, and said, “This is the guy you need to be betting with,” and introduced him to Bowyer, according to the source. Mizuhara, who was Ohtani’s translator mostly while the reigning American League MVP was with the Los Angeles Angels, pleaded guilty in June. This was to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return and he is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25h.
Noted in the report, Bowyer transferred at least $9.3 million of the money he received from Mizuhara to a casino to pay off markets for himself and his associates, prosecutors said. Bowyer also transferred another $9 million to one other casino in Southern California to pay off credit lines. Prosecutors said Bowyer employed agents and sub-agents, including casino hosts, and operated out of locations in Las Vegas as well as Orange and Los Angeles counties. The employees were paid from the gamblers’ losses. Bowyer used Costa Rica-based websites and a call center where agents and customers could place and track bets.
Per the report, Bowyer was so entrenched with one casino that employees there would sometimes stop playing a table game so Bowyer could take phone calls to discuss payments and bets with clients, according to the plea agreement. At times, Bowyer would collect proceeds, in the form of chips or bags of cash, while gambling at the casino. He would also bring clients to the casino to gamble as a group.
In his plea agreement, Bowyer admitted to falsifying his 2022 federal tax returns, reporting $607,897 in income but failing to report another $4 million from the illegal gambling business. More than $3.8 million of that money was in the form of wire transfers to one of his bank accounts that he did not declare, prosecutors said in the report. He will face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison on the money laundering count and up to five years for operating an unlawful gambling business.
Bowyer, sources said, declared bankruptcy in 2011. He has tried his hand at several occupations: bookmaker, commodities trader, pest control company owner, and operator of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio. However, it was his relationship with Mizuhara – and the tie to Ohtani – that he hoped would give his gambling operation a hefty boost. Instead, it was what supercharged the federal investigation.
Once you are all dialed in regarding the latest updates and notes coming from the world of California wagering updates, make sure to of course tap into the awesome array of info at SBS. Of course, for additional insights on the landscape of Golden State betting updates, make sure to check out the California sports betting guide. Here you can find all kinds of useful information as it relates to state betting and beyond. Conversely, for those looking to maximize their wagers, look no further than the best bonus betting sites rundown which goes over a ton of great info including a catalog of the latest welcome bonus offers for you. Finally, for those on the go, our best betting apps breakdown goes over all of the perks of mobile betting and how you can always stay on top of the action.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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