Sports’ highest-paid player in history is finding himself in hot water as MLB announced Friday it is launching a formal investigation into Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The move comes from claims that Ohtani used money to pay down gambling debts for his interpreter. No charges have been filed in the case, but it comes in a sport that has had its fair share of controversy surrounding sports betting.
In December, Ohtani made international headlines for money going into his account — a reported $700 million for a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly used $4.5 million of Ohtani’s money to pay off gambling debts to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. According to ESPN, Ohtani had learned of the debts and agreed to bail him out by wiring funds to an associate of Mizuhara’s alleged bookmake