Bookie Mathew Bowyer To Be Sentenced in Ex-Ohtani Interpreter Gambling Case

With no legal sports betting market available to residents of California, using our best sports betting sites isn’t an option.

Former California bookie Matthew Bowyer—who became infamous after accepting about 20,000 illegal wagers from ex-Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara—pleaded guilty to various charges, including running an illegal gambling operation, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. 

“I was running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money through other people’s bank accounts,” Bowyer told the judge in a Santa Ana, Calif., courtroom. 

The 49-year-old will be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025, and could face up to 18 years if the maximum sentence is applied.

However, Bowyer’s lawyer, Diane Bass, expects his sentence to be between 30 and 37 months. 

Legal California sports betting is not a reality, and the Golden State has not yet followed in the footsteps of the 38 U.S. States that are either making steps toward legalization or have regulated and legal sports betting markets, like those where our best sports betting apps operate. 

Bowyer’s illegal gambling business  

Bowyer operated an illegal gambling business for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas, accepting wagers from at least 700 bettors, including Mizuhara. 

Federal prosecutors said Bowyer also accepted illegal wagers from a professional baseball player for a Southern California club and a former minor league player, but neither person was identified by name in court filings.

Mizuhara was Bowyer’s main and most high-profile customer

From Sept. 2021 to Jan. 2024, Mizuhara stole almost $17 million from Ohtani to pay Bowyer for thousands of illegal wagers.

In June, the disgraced former interpreter pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud. 

Mizuhara is said to have won about $142 million, all of which was deposited into his bank accounts. His losses totaled $183 million, for an overall loss of $41 million.

He also spent about $325,000 of Ohtani’s money on baseball cards and even used some funds to cover personal medical bills. 

Prosecutors found no evidence that Mizuhara bet on baseball, and they also found Ohtani, who cooperated fully with investigators, was innocent of any wrongdoing. 

Mizuhara will be sentenced in October.

While the charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years, it’s expected Mizuhara’s sentence will be much less severe in terms of jail time due to his guilty plea.