Shohei Ohtani scandal could focus more attention on the 'Wild West' of sports betting, lawmakers say

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Two lawmakers who are pushing bills aimed at reining in the sports betting industry say there is a silver lining to the scandal that has ensnared the Japanese interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani: It will shine a spotlight on the plague of gambling addiction. “This situation clearly demonstrates the impact and harm that gambling addiction can inflict,” said Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y, who this month introduced the SAFE Bet Act to deal with what he has called a “public health crisis.” Both Tonko and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced their bills before the news broke that Ippei Mizuhara had allegedly stole $4.5 million from Ohtani to pay off bookies in Southern California who were being investigated by the U.S. government. “The widespread legalization and promotion of sports gambling will only make this type of incident more common moving forward,” Tonko said in an emailed response to a question from NBC News. “We have an obligation to address the predatory practices of this industry and protect consumers, which precisely what my SAFE Bet Act aims to do.” The act would require states to meet certain rules related to sports betting, including on advertising, money deposits and the use of artificial intelligence. The American Gaming Association, which advocates on behalf of the industry, said that the Ohtani case involved illegal gambling and that should be the focus of lawmakers. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the pervasive illegal market persists and continues to prey on Americans,” AGA spokesperson Cait DeBaun said in a statement. “This only reinforces the need for federal action on illegal gambling operations that target vulnerable Americans, steal tax dollars from communities, and undermine the regulated marketplace. We commend Congress for calling on the Department of Justice to investigate and enforce the law." The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani at a preseason game in Los Angeles, on March 24. Harry How / Getty Images The Dodgers fired Mizuhara, Ohtani's interpreter and close friend, on Thursday after Ohtani’s attorneys alleged that he had "been the victim of a massive theft." On Friday, Major League Baseball announced it had opened an investigation into Mizuhara and his alleged ties to illegal gambling. Specifically, NBC News reported that the allegations against Mizuhara center on wire transfers from Ohtani’s account — totaling at least $4.5 million — to a bookmaking operation in Southern California that is currently under federal investigation. While the Ohtani situation deals with illegal gambling, it comes amid growing scrutiny about the rise of legalized sports gambling in the U.S. The immediate availability of sports betting through mobile apps and the nearly omnipresent advertising for those apps has led to concern about whether the industry needs to be more closely regulated. That concern includes some players and coaches who have recently begun to speak out about gambling. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff recently said that sports gambling "has gone too far" and that he'd received threats from gamblers. Tyrese Haliburton, one of the NBA's rising stars, said that he feels like a "prop" for gamblers and that his social media is inundated with gambling talk.