Sports betting was almost fully allowed in the United States in 2018. The trigger point was that the US Supreme Court ruled that the ban on sports betting under the pretext of maintaining the purity of sports competition and eliminating scandals and corruption was unconstitutional. However, less than eight years after the Supreme Court ruling, the dark side of sports gambling is exposed again as the illegal gambling problem of MLB star Shohei Otani (LA Dodgers), a translator, is raised. Moreover, as the number of cases where MLB, National Football League (NFL), and National Basketball Association (NBA) players are involved in sports gambling is increasing, contrary to the principle that they can participate in sports gambling, how much influence will there be. The illegal gambling scandal of the interpreter Otani has been waiting to see if it will go crazy.
American Professional Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) arrives for a press conference before baseball training before the 2024 LA Dodgers Seoul Series baseball game held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 16th. Behind Otani, Ippei Mizuhara, an interpreter accused of illegal gambling and accessing Otani’s bank account to withdraw $4.5 million, enters. / AFP Yonhap News
◇ The US Supreme Court ruled that ‘sports gambling’ was legal in 2018… Since then, the market has grown
In May 2018, the US Supreme Court opened the way for legal sports gambling in 50 US states. In the United States, under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) enacted in 1992, sports betting was banned except in four states: Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon. However, the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the federal law that made sports gambling illegal was in principle unconstitutional. At the time, the Supreme Court sided with New Jersey’s request to allow each state to decide whether to allow sports gambling, with 6 votes in favor and 3 against. At the time, the state of New Jersey was fighting a legal battle to allow sports gambling on behalf of declining casinos in Atlantic City, a southeastern resort city. Currently, regulations vary slightly from one state to another, but around two-thirds of states recognize sports gambling as legal.
Since then, the US sports betting market has grown. Citing the American Gaming Association (AGA), the Associated Press reported that the cumulative amount of sports betting bets placed legally in the United States over the five years at the end of March last year was calculated to be $220 billion (about KRW 295.878 trillion ). This figure is more than 3.5 times the size of the legal sports betting market in the United States ($57 billion, about KRW 76.6593 trillion) estimated by the New York Times in 2018.
◇ You really didn’t know? Despite Otani’s explanation, conspiracy theories are ‘strong’
In this situation, sports gambling gets new attention as Ippei Mizuhara, who was Otani’s interpreter, was accused of illegal gambling and accessing Otani’s bank account to withdraw $4.5 million (about 6.052 billion won). Even Otani is involved in the illegal gambling scandal.
According to ESPN sports media, Mizuhara owed $4.5 million due to illegal sports betting, and Otani paid off. However, he later changed his statement to say, “Ohtani didn’t know anything.” Otani held a press conference at the Dodgers Stadium in California, USA on the 26th (local time), five days after Mizuhara was fired from the club, and said, “I have never gambled on sports or sent money deliberately to a gambler.” he flatly denied the allegation that he transferred $4.5 million directly to a gambler to repay a debt.
The important question is whether Otani was aware of Mizuhara’s gambling and whether he paid the debt himself. If Otani engaged in illegal gambling or paid off Mizuhara’s debt after knowing about his gambling, he would be subject to disciplinary action. In MLB, if a player or club employee engages in illegal sports betting, he or she can be suspended for one year or expelled permanently. According to US federal law, even if you are not directly involved in gambling, you are subject to punishment if you send money to pay a debt.
Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter (pictured) has been investigated by the NBA for suspected foul play. / Reuters
◇ Even before the Otani scandal, the US sports industry was in turmoil over rumors of gambling involvement.
Even before the illegal gambling scandal involving the translator Ohtani, the American sports industry had recently been troubled by the issue of sports gambling involving sports players. Earlier this month, the NBA raised concerns about the growing influence of sports gambling and the potential risks it poses. In fact, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was investigated for suspected poor performance on purpose. Last year alone, the NFL suspended 10 players for illegal sports gambling.
The controversy also spread within the university. While March Madness, the biggest sports betting event in the United States, is underway (the nickname for the National College Basketball Championship Tournament hosted by the National Collegiate Sports Association every March), Temple University came under suspicion from US gambling watchdog US Integrity. have received reports of suspicious activity related to gambling. Charlie Baker, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, issued a statement on the 27th saying, “The situation is so concerning that betting on the performance of individual college athletes should be banned across the country.”
Last year, the University of Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon after he was caught providing inside information to outside parties. Around the time Bohagen was fired, Iowa State University announced that it had received information from authorities about dozens of athletes suspected of gambling on sports. It was confirmed that some of them had bet on their own team. Most of them were charged criminally. Declan Hill, a match-fixing expert at the University of New Haven, said, “A rational fan would wonder if I was watching a show or if it was actually sports,” and noted, “The credibility of sports is starting to erode. .”
◇ A voice of self-reflection within the sports industry
Now the sports industry recognizes that although sports gambling is legalised, there are risks. Karquest Mix, MLB’s general counsel for sports betting and compliance, told the Wall Street Journal: “Despite the positives that can be gained from sports gambling, such as the added viewership, legal sports betting also does not protect the integrity of the sport .” It means nothing,” he said.
The WSJ said, “Since the Supreme Court opened the door to legal sports betting in every state, America’s major leagues have been surprisingly facing the dark side of sports betting,” adding, “The problem is that participating in betting sports banned. .” “The athlete is at the center of it all,” he noted. “What is important now is that sport is a promise that puts experience at its heart, and that audiences and athletes must be able to believe that what they see is real,” he said. “The logic alone of being able to have a hearing is enough to raise suspicion,” he stressed.
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