Without Hard-Line Bans, Pro Athletes and Personnel Will Keep Betting on Sports

The sheer scale of the saga involving Shohei Ohtani’s now former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara seemed stunning earlier this year. But now, as the prolific age of the sports betting scandal is here, an event of this magnitude may be only the first thunderclap signaling a coming storm.

As issues continue to arise—in recent months alone, the NBA’s Jontay Porter and MLB’s Tucupita Marcano received lifetime bans for prohibited betting activity—pro sports leagues are scrambling to master the tightrope walk between embracing the $120 billion legalized sports betting industry and bracing for the next bomb.