Shohei Ohtani 'I Never Bet on Baseball'

• If bets were placed on MLB games this could get especially ugly.

• Ohtani denies he ever bet on baseball games as thrust into center of gambling scandal involving former translator.

It seems everybody is talking about the latest gambling scandal and how it could potentially rock the world of Major League Baseball depending on just how deep things get.  On Monday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani denied he ever bet on baseball or had anyone do so on his behalf.

In case you haven't heard in recent days, Ohtani's now former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is accused of "massive theft" from the star player to cover his illegal gambling debts.

At least $4.5 million was wired from Ohtani’s bank account to a known bookie out of California, Mathew Bowyer.  It has since been revealed that Bowyer is under a long time federal investigation.

The story seems to be changing, however, and there are some questions as to how involved Ohtani actually is in this matter.  For example, who wired the money?  Could Ohtani have known?

The main question everybody is asking: Were bets placed on MLB games?

Ben Limbergh of The Ringer:

Nothing matters more than this. If the answer is yes, then there are realistic scenarios in which Ohtani would face stiff discipline, up to and including a lifetime ban from MLB. If the answer is no, then the worst-case outcomes for Ohtani would be taken off the table, and he might well emerge from the situation without suffering any punishment.

There are also conflicting stories.  Mizuhara told ESPN, “I explained my situation, and obviously he wasn’t happy about it, but he said he would help me.” (Mizuhara added that Ohtani didn’t know or ask about the legality—or lack thereof—of the payments and that “I don’t think either of us thought about that at the time at all.”)

“I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never asked anyone to do it on my behalf," Ohtani said via another translator during a scheduled press conference Monday afternoon.

"I'm very grateful that the media has been patient in this process," he added as part of a prepared statement.

This likely won't be the end of the story so stay tuned.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com