Mathew Bowyer deliberate a lavish fiftieth birthday celebration this previous Friday — 140 visitors, a five-hour occasion at Bottega Angelina in Laguna Niguel, California, and a second of closure after years of authorized chaos. As an alternative, he acquired six extra months of uncertainty. Bowyer, the bookmaker on the heart of the unlawful sports activities betting scandal involving Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was initially scheduled to be sentenced on April 4. However federal authorities pushed the date again to October 3, giving Bowyer extra time to get his affairs so as — and extra time to sit down with the load of his destiny.
“I might have most popular to get this over with,” Bowyer advised USA TODAY Sports activities. “It’s simply the anxiousness of the unknown that sucks. I really feel like I’m in a pickle between second and third base, however nearer to second base.”
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers look previous playing scandal
The Southern California businessman pleaded responsible final yr to working an unlawful playing ring, cash laundering, and submitting false tax returns. Whereas he faces a possible 18-year sentence, Bowyer expects a lowered penalty — someplace between 17 and 37 months — because of his cooperation with authorities. He’s anticipated to serve far much less time than Mizuhara, who acquired a 57-month sentence for stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani to feed a crippling playing habit.
Mizuhara positioned over 19,000 bets — totaling greater than $300 million — with Bowyer from September 2021 to January 2024. Whereas the federal investigation concluded Ohtani was utterly unaware of Mizuhara’s actions and cleared him of any wrongdoing, Bowyer nonetheless wrestles with how a lot the baseball famous person may need suspected.
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“I really imagine Shohei doesn’t gamble,” Bowyer stated. “However I feel he knew some space of demise with Ippei, simply possibly to not that extent.”
Regardless of by no means talking with the Dodgers two-way star, Bowyer admitted he had suspicions — particularly when seeing Ohtani’s title on a number of $500,000 wire transfers. Nonetheless, he says he prevented digging deeper.
“There comes some extent the place you don’t need the reply, and I used to be afraid of the reality,” Bowyer defined.
Now sober, reflective, and centered on what’s subsequent, Bowyer says he needs to assist athletes keep away from the playing entice that ensnared Mizuhara and others. “I need to make them conscious of creating higher decisions, higher choices, and avoiding this stuff,” he stated, expressing curiosity in working with the NFL or MLB in an advisory capability.
Bowyer has written a 16-chapter memoir titled Recalibrate, chronicling his rise from restaurant server to millionaire bookmaker. He hopes to launch it after his sentencing. “When you have got $5 to $6 million on a soccer recreation, that adrenaline rush is admittedly arduous to switch,” Bowyer stated. “However now I discover it in rebuilding my life.” From FBI raids to birthday events to pending jail time, Bowyer calls this chapter a blessing in disguise. “I by no means needed the FBI to raid my residence,” he stated, “however it’s given me an opportunity to recalibrate.”