The Implications Of Shohei Ohtani, Translator, Gambling Fiasco

The precedent it sets and the potential outcomes

Code & Coins
10 min readMar 27, 2024
Image from CNN.

As you’ve probably heard by now, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese baseball superstar now playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is accused of stealing money from Ohtani’s bank account to be used for gambling.

The amount in question is at least $4.5 Million, paid out to an California bookie who is currently under federal investigation.

The interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has since apologized and says he has a gambling addiction. Ippei’s situation is not ambiguous.

What is less clear, is Ohtani’s level of participation.

Initially, the story was that Ohtani was giving out these payments to help Ippei pay off gambling debts. This was the story that was told to The Dodgers organization too.

Then, the story changed.

Ohtani’s representatives said he never knew about the payouts at all until the news broke. Even Ohtani himself told a different tale.

“Ippei has been stealing money from my…

--

--