Bookie in Shohei Ohtani betting scandal has Las Vegas ties

LAS VEGAS — The bookmaker at the center of the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal was a high-stakes sports bettor in Las Vegas, a source told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookie who is the target of a federal investigation, reportedly was wired millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account to pay off the gambling debt of Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter who has been accused of a “massive theft” of the Japanese player’s funds.

A person who has worked at multiple Las Vegas sportsbooks confirmed to the RJ that Bowyer placed large wagers here.

Bowyer, 48, also was a high-limit baccarat player banned from several casinos in Las Vegas, according to The Washington Post.

When the Orange County, Calif., native filed for bankruptcy in 2011, he claimed to have lost $425,000 gambling at Aria and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, according to bankruptcy records. He was listed as a divorced father of four daughters.

Aria sued Bowyer for $250,000 for an alleged bounced check, according to court records. The suit was later dismissed.

Bowyer also was sued by Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut for allegedly not paying back $1.2 million in casino markers extended to him in 2015, according to the Post. The casino was still trying to collect on the debt last year in Superior Court in Orange County.

In 2019, Bowyer founded a company called Picks Enterprises, LLC, out of a lawyer’s office in Las Vegas, the Post said.

The investigation into Bowyer comes at the same time as the federal investigation of former minor league baseball pitcher Wayne Nix, another illegal bookmaker based in Orange County whose clients included former Dodgers star Yasiel Puig and Maverick Carter, Lakers star LeBron James’ longtime business manager.

Nix’s casino play at MGM Grand led former resort president Scott Sibella to plead guilty in January to federal charges for violating anti-money-laundering laws by allowing the illegal bookie to bet at MGM.

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