Problem Gambling News February 2025

There are a number of problem gambling news stories floating around the nation this February of 2025. However, there are two high-profile ones that deserve focus for the mere fact that they (sports betting scandals) are becoming unfortunately ubiquitous in American athletics. Please read ahead to learn more.

February 2025 News Regarding Problematic Gambling / Sports Betting that America Needs to Know About


Gambling Addiction Deemed No-Defense in Ohtani Interpreter Trial

Last year, we reported on the MLB’s Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal which indicted his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara for embezzling more than $4.5 million to cover gambling losses. Months later, and after pleading guilty, Mizuhara purported that gambling addiction led to the crime against Ohtani, and that it should be considered when determining his upcoming sentence. Last week, ESPN reported that federal prosecutors rejected the claim, stating there was no evidence Mizuhara suffered from problematic gambling behavior prior to his string of theft.

On the surface, the prosecutors’ claim may give some pause. Problem gambling is often referred to as a silent addiction because it can go unnoticed for years before anyone in a sufferer’s familial, social, and professional circle realizes that it’s even a problem. Were prosecutors wrong to dismiss Mizuhara’s defense and request for leniency? We can’t speak to who performed his behavioral health assessment, but prosecutors stated that the government’s investigation found “only minimal evidence” of problematic gambling, or any notable gambling behavior at all. Investigators only found evidence that Mizuhara spent $200 at the Mirage casino in Las Vegas back in 2008. While he may have used offshore betting sites which fly under the radar of regulators, Mizuhara could have easily provided evidence of this, if he racked-up gambling debt on the unregulated market. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists point to this lack of evidence to backup speculation that Mizuhara was actually taking the fall for his employer and friend Ohtani, who may have been the one with a gambling problem. In either case, professional sports can expect more scandals of this nature to follow the growth of regulated sports betting. Look no further than disgraced NBA player Jontay Porter who used gambling addiction as a defense in his own ongoing case with federal authorities. This leads us to the next problem gambling news item for February.

Investigation into Basketball Gambling Ring Grows

Gambling scandals continue to jump from one athletic league to the next. As alluded to above, former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter has been permanently banned from the NBA for violating gambling policy. More notably, is that he is also in hot water with the authorities as his activities have alleged ties to organized crime. Porter indicated that organized criminals were able to exploit debt he incurred due to gambling addiction to get him to rig games. That’s old news at this point. What’s new this February, is that authorities believe that the same gambling ring is involved in a new investigation involving Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. Rozier is accused of manipulating his performance as part of an illegal sports betting scheme. If this weren’t enough to shake the integrity of basketball, consider that the exact same gambling ring is also tied to a current case involving suspicious college basketball betting. On February 4th, ESPN reported that three men’s college basketball programs are allegedly involved, including North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State, and Eastern Michigan.

More will be revealed as the days, weeks, and months pass, but one thing is certain; match fixing is becoming a fixture in both collegiate and professional sports in this new era of sports betting in America. While punishment has its place for those who blatantly violate policy and federal law, measures to protect athlete and league/organization integrity must be more than punitive in nature. Preventative measures must be taken to identify athlete vulnerabilities to problem gambling, to monitor for instances of problematic gambling behavior, and to increase access to athlete support services. In doing so, the risk of organized criminals being able to step in to exploit instances of problem gambling among athletes will be mitigated. The following articles provide further insight into the current crisis:


Stay tuned for more as stories develop.

Get Immediate and Effective Problem Gambling Support

CALL +1 (877) 426-4258

OR

Email [email protected]

Problem Gambling News February 2025