Former Japanese Baseball Player to be Given Suspended Sentence Over Gambling

The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday sentenced a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher to 14 months in jail after he was found to be betting on baseball games and assisting with the operation of an illegal gambling ring.

Shoki Kasahara, 25, will also be suspended from playing for four years.  

Betting on games by an active player “contributed to ruining the credibility of professional baseball,” Judge Yasunobu Hosoya said in his ruling.

Kasahara’s codefendant, Satoshi Saito, 38, was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Saito organized the betting scheme while Kasahara was believed to have placed bets totaling ¥4.5 million.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com