In an interview with the New York Post published Monday, the convicted bookmaker who took millions of dollars in wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter claimed that half of all professional athletes are wagering on sports.

Orange County, California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer is awaiting sentencing for illegally taking sports bets, laundering money, and filing a false tax return.

Now, he’s also talking about his relationship to Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired in March 2024 after confessing to stealing from the Los Angeles Dodgers star – in part to cover losses from wagers placed through Bowyer’s bookmaking outfit.

“It was very obvious (Mizuhara) was stealing money and not asking Ohtani for permission,” Bowyer told The Post. In April 2024, Mizuhara was charged with stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani, most of which was transferred directly from Ohtani’s bank account to an account registered to the bookmaker.

He was fired by the Dodgers from his job as Ohtani’s interpreter after the allegations came to light in March 2024.

“I asked him if he was OK,” Bowyer told the Post. “He said, ‘I’m just terrible at this.’ I would try to control him a little bit.” “I truly believe he had a massive gambling addiction problem.” 

Reports A federal investigation revealed that Mizuhara began placing bets with Bowyer in Sept. 2021, and then transferred money from Ohtani’s personal account to cover the debts. Bowyer confirmed to the Post earlier reports that Mizuhara stopped betting through him in Jan. 2024.

Evan Drellich and Sam Blum of The Athletic reported recently that Mizuhara is next scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Thursday.

His sentencing has been delayed while prosecutors have gathered new evidence – including an audio recording demonstrating Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani in order to secure a $200,000 wire transfer.

Last April, the Department of Justice released a 37-page complaint against Mizuhara that detailed the breadth of his gambling activities – most of which occurred during Ohtani’s time with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract in Dec. 2023. Bowyer also asserted that half of all professional athletes are gambling on sports.

The Post did not report, or ask, Bowyer’s opinion on what percentage of those bets are illegal.