Matt Bowyer: The Bookie Behind Baseball’s Biggest Betting Scandal

Summary

Podcast Summary: Miss Understood with Rachel Uchitel

Episode: Matt Bowyer: The Bookie Behind Baseball’s Biggest Betting Scandal
Air Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Rachel Uchitel
Guest: Matt Bowyer

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Overview

In this deeply candid episode, Rachel Uchitel sits down with Matt Bowyer, the man at the heart of the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal—dubbed "the bookie behind baseball's biggest betting scandal." Facing impending prison time, Bowyer shares not only the details behind the headlines but the personal journey that led to his rise and stunning fall as one of the world's top bookmakers. The conversation covers his tumultuous upbringing, the culture and business of sports betting, the breakdown of his family life, the Ohtani case and its far-reaching repercussions, and his search for redemption.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day of Sentencing and Facing Accountability

• Matt's Sentencing Experience:

  • Anxiety and Fear: Matt describes the night before his sentencing, sleeping only two hours due to the dread of leaving his family behind, not just the fear of prison. (04:09)

  • Sentencing Outcome: He faced a possible 37-51 months, with max charges totaling 18 years, but ultimately got a 12-month, one-day sentence due in part to his cooperation and paying $1.6 million in restitution upfront. (04:49–06:13)

  • Ultimate Relief: Describes the day of the federal raid as “one of the best days of my life” because it represented a turning point. (00:49, 46:40)

    "That day in October 5th was one of the best days of my life when the feds raided my home."
    — Matt Bowyer (00:49, 46:40)

2. Childhood, Hustle, and Early Lessons on Survival

• Family Life & First Hustles:

  • Grew up in Cypress, CA, with a father battling alcoholism and a mother working multiple jobs after the family broke apart. At 12, Bowyer learned to hustle, first selling newspapers and baseball cards, then running a teenage poker ring. (07:54–13:10)

  • Early exposure to gambling through family trips to racetracks, where his grandparents bet on trifectas for fun. (14:52–15:28)

    "I watched my mom just become a complete hard working hustler to keep us in that house... So I started hustling myself."
    — Matt Bowyer (09:13)

3. Rapid Ascent—From Mailroom to Brokerage Fortune

• First Big Break:

  • At 18, with a pregnant girlfriend and living on the edge financially, Matt’s personality landed him a mailroom job at a commodities firm. Within three years he was making $700,000/year and buying back his childhood family home at 21. (18:22–22:22)

    "At 21 years old I bought it for 540, 000 and I moved back into my parents home."
    — Matt Bowyer (22:22)

• Transition to Bookmaking:

  • Tired of losing bets, he began taking bets from his affluent colleagues, eventually scaling to a national operation headquartered out of Costa Rica when online gambling took off. (22:22–24:20, 29:06)

4. Inside the [Illegal] Betting Business

• How It Worked:

  • Managed 800 active clients, moving $5–$7 million weekly and working with 48 agents nationwide.

  • Bookies rely on personal referrals, trust networks, and strict vetting, shifting from offering easy credit in the past to more caution due to ‘stiffs.’ (35:39–35:52, 31:02, 32:08)

    "When the feds raided me... I had about 800 clients active. Every Monday, I would say I was moving 5 to $7 million throughout the country."
    — Matt Bowyer (35:39)

  • Details the legal landscape and why only conglomerates like DraftKings and FanDuel get licenses, not individuals. Explains why illegal bookies will persist as long as state-by-state laws remain restrictive. (38:28–39:25)

• Common Myths:

  • Dismisses the Hollywood image of violent bookmakers, asserting today’s business is “not baseball bats and dark alleys,” but a high-volume financial operation. (82:38)

    “I ran a...very large corporation. It was just illegal.”
    — Matt Bowyer (82:38)

5. Big Bets, Dopamine Rush, and the Psychology of Gambling

• The Gambling High:

  • Bowyer explains the tension of handling millions and the unique adrenaline rush only gambling can give—likening it to sex or the high of drugs. (44:40)

    “It’s exhilarating...Like the best sex of your life or the best ecstasy you’ve ever had.”
    — Matt Bowyer (44:40)

• Winning Odds:

  • Only a tiny percentage—often algorithm-driven “MIT nerds”—actually win over time. Personal knowledge is often less reliable than data models. (42:49–43:38)

    "The more you know about sports, I think the less chance you have of winning."
    — Matt Bowyer (42:49)

6. Personal Life, Family, and Exit Strategies

• Wife’s Role:

  • His wife, initially a participant in the lifestyle, became uniquely involved when he pitched her as his casino host—earning hefty commissions and helping manage guests and perks. Later, she lost her license, and faces potential civil fines. (48:15–53:08)

    "No gambler that I know has ever had their wife become their host."
    — Matt Bowyer (50:04)

• Cost of Lifestyle:

  • Despite making millions, most of the wealth was spent on “a very exotic life,” children’s education, property, and luxuries, with little left in savings. (80:00–81:14)

7. The Ohtani Scandal—Behind Baseball’s Biggest Story

• Origins:

  • Despite widespread belief, Bowyer asserts he wasn’t busted due to the Ohtani case, but rather due to casinos not following “Know Your Customer” laws; the Ohtani angle emerged only when ESPN investigated. (56:14–57:54)

• What Really Happened:

  • Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend, sent large wire transfers from Ohtani’s account for gambling; Bowyer insists he never saw anyone “fix” baseball games or bet on their own sport.

  • Bowyer says he never actively recruited athletes or encouraged problem gambling. (45:17–45:41, 64:28–65:21)

    "I've never seen or knew of an athlete betting on their own particular sport through me."
    — Matt Bowyer (45:17)

  • Bowyer doubts Ohtani himself was involved, theorizes he may have helped Ippei out “a little bit” but that the Dodgers orchestrated a narrative to keep Ohtani clear.

    "There is a chance this could be the biggest cover up in Major League Baseball history..."
    — Rachel Uchitel (69:21)

8. Preparation for Prison and Redemption

• Dealing with Imprisonment:

  • Bowyer faces prison at Lompoc but says he is not afraid—his main worry is his family. Plans to use his time to write, reflect, and prepare for his next chapter as an author and motivational speaker. (70:18–72:39, 75:49–76:48)

    "I'm going to build this massive brand where I'm selling books, motivational speaking... I inspire and motivate people and change their lives."
    — Matt Bowyer (71:31)

• Personal Growth:

  • Describes embracing accountability, using adversity to “chip away” and become a better man at 50 than he’d ever been.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Relief of the Raid:
  "That day in October 5th was one of the best days of my life when the feds raided my home."
  — Matt Bowyer (00:49, 46:40)

• On the Realities of Modern Bookmaking:
  “I ran a...very large corporation. It was just illegal.”
  — Matt Bowyer (82:38)

• On Winning and Algorithmic Gambling:
  "The more you know about sports, I think the less chance you have of winning."
  — Matt Bowyer (42:49)

• On Relationships and Addictions:
  "She didn't care about that stuff. She wanted to have her husband and her family...it was overtaking me."
  — Matt Bowyer (47:41)

• On Redemption:
  "I'm going to build this massive brand...and this is the first time in my life that I've ever done something where both people are winning."
  — Matt Bowyer (71:31)

• On Restitution & the Price Paid:
  "Paid all of my restitution in full, which less than 1% of people in my case ever do..."
  — Matt Bowyer (06:46)

• On the Ohtani Scandal’s True Nature:
  "Everyone thinks that because of the name Shohei Otani in Ippei, that's not even why I got in trouble."
  — Matt Bowyer (56:14)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Life-changing Raid / Facing Prison: 00:02, 00:49, 46:40
• Childhood & Early Hustle: 07:54–13:10
• Commodities to Bookmaking Transition: 18:22–24:20
• Running a Bookmaking Empire: 35:39–35:52
• Myths vs Reality of Bookmaking: 82:38
• Dopamine Rush of Gambling: 44:40
• Involvement of Spouse: 48:15–53:08
• Ohtani Scandal Dissection: 56:14–69:14
• Preparation for Prison & Redemption: 70:18–76:48

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Closing Thoughts

The episode provides a riveting exploration of Matt Bowyer’s journey from a hard-luck childhood to the top of the illegal gambling world, culminating in the high-profile Ohtani scandal and Bowyer’s reckoning with the law. Through candid self-reflection and emotional honesty, Bowyer seeks to reclaim his humanity from the infamy of headlines, offering listeners a first-hand look at the complexities behind the biggest sports betting scandal in baseball history.

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Transcript

[Rachel Yucatel]

Today on Misunderstood with Rachel Yucatel.

[Matt Boyer]

There's the number one retail commodity broker in the world. I was the number one bookmaker in the world. ESPN came to my home and had some sources that knew that I was receiving wires from Shohei Ohtani. Feds raided me on October 5, 2023. I had about 800 clients active. Every Monday, I would say I was moving 5 to $7 million throughout the country. From the outside, every was like, well, how do you get tired of jumping on a plane and G550 and flying to Vegas and having a butler and 10,000 square foot room and, you know, millions of dollars and I'd buy her whatever she wanted. She didn't care about that stuff. She wanted to have her husband and her family right. That day in October 5th was one of the best days of my life when the feds raided my home.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Why?

[Matt Boyer]

Because that was at a fork in the road.

[Rachel Yucatel]

There is a chance this could be the biggest cover up in Major League Baseball history.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

There.

[Rachel Yucatel]

There are names you hear in the news that become bigger than the human behind them. Matt Boyer is one of those names. He's been called the bookie at the center of the Shohei Ohtani scandal. The man who handled hundreds of millions in bets. The guy whose operations stretched from California to Costa Rica. And pull involved in celebrities, athletes, and an interpreter who shook Major League Baseball to its core. But behind the headlines is a man who on August 29 was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison. A man who now counts down the days until October 10, when he must walk into a prison cell and leave everything and everyone behind. For the next year of his life, he's been ordered to pay back $1.6 million, sit in counseling and serve out supervised release when he comes home. His empire has crumbled. And yet his story isn't over. Matt flew here to Florida to sit down with me face to face in what will be one of his last interviews before surrender. And while he's spoken to media before, I want you to understand why this conversation is different. Because we're not just going to talk about what he did. We're going to talk about who he is. We'll go back to his childhood, to the early rush of gambling, to what drew him into a life where risk and reward blurred until it consumed assumed him. We'll walk through the rise of his operation, the players involved, the infamous Ohtani connection, and the moment when it all came crashing down. And then we'll talk about the fear, the accountability and the preparation of a man who is about to lose his freedom in order to begin again. This isn't just another retelling of a scandal. This is about what happens when the lights fade, when the noise of the headlines disappears, and when a man is forced to reckon with himself. Matt Boyer is here, and this is the conversation you haven't heard. Matt, thank you so much for joining me today on Misunderstood.

[Matt Boyer]

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I'm so happy I got a chance to meet you a couple weeks ago, which was such an honor to meet you and your wife. I had a great time with you, and you've actually flown into Florida to do this episode, and I'm so excited. Since the time we've met, you've actually been sentenced.

[Matt Boyer]

That's correct.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I want to talk about that. I remember texting you. I think it was the morning you went in or the morning before, because I was thinking about it a lot. I know you must have been awake very early thinking about it. Can you talk me through that morning?

[Matt Boyer]

Sure.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And what it was like in the Courthouse.

[Matt Boyer]

I slept two hours. I put it on my Instagram 2 hours and 30 minutes, which I don't even know how I did that. But the anxiety was just mounting again. As a father of five, it's not about going to prison. I mean, that's a shitty thing to deal with anyway. But it's not being able to be a father and be a husband.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So the realization of all that is really, like. It's weird. It's. I described to people, if you have to go get a tooth pulled at the dentist, it's like, oh, it's six weeks from now. It's no big deal. And then, you know, the day of, you're like, oh, this is now. I got to deal with this. Right. It's that times a thousand.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And so the anxiety of, like, the unknown and just wanting to get it over with is really what gets people right. These situations.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And the not knowing also of the sentencing itself, like, how long this could be. So what. What were you up for? What was the wor that could have happened that day, really?

[Matt Boyer]

37 to 51 months.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

My. My max charges are 18 years. But that's. It's always unrealistic because I have no charges from priors. I've never been arrested my life. And the fact is, I. I did cooperate with the government in regards to pleading guilty immediately. I mean, that. That alone helps you. Right. If you don't make them spend money to fight and they immediately give you some I'm gonna call it grievance. And that helps you. And then also, there was a situation which we can get into, but the case involves casinos, and I tried to help them, assist them, the United States government, that is, with just being completely honest with them about that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I didn't want to disclose anything else in my phone, but as far as the casinos and the KYC rules and stuff that they were supposed to, I was very upfront and honest about that. So that assisted me and got me a better situation. And then the government recommended 15 months to. Before I walked in.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I saw that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And my probation report came back at 41 months. So that's always higher, generally in these federal cases, because they don't really factor in all of the things I just discussed. So we kind of. My attorney pretty much knew 15 months was kind of the worst case, even though I could have got three or four years.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Because most judges, as long as you're not completely, you know, out of line and you're doing things that are to mitigate, they're gonna give you roughly that range.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And you didn't have any real victims. Right. So, I mean, that must have played a big part in it.

[Matt Boyer]

That did. And then I paid all of my restitution in full, which less than 1% of people in my case ever do that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

7% even pay restitution.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, what did you have to pay?

[Matt Boyer]

It was a little over 1.6 million.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Six and change, which I paid two months in advance.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

And also, I mean, every format I could do to mitigate, I did. I worked with a nonprofit. I went to USC and spoke to kids who are, you know, graduating college or about to. And work with them on just understanding, I would say, not only addiction, but just overcoming adversity. And how do you handle situations? And, yeah, so I've done things to show also community service to show the judge and the prosecution that I've been reformed.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

What were the actual charges?

[Matt Boyer]

10 years for money laundering, 5 years for a falsified tax return, and 3 years for bookmaking.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And you pled guilty to all of those, Correct.

[Matt Boyer]

Three counts.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, let's spool back. I want to know how you got here.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Or got there, where they were accusing you of these things, and where were you born? Tell me about your childhood and how you got into this.

[Matt Boyer]

Ironically, I was born in Cypress, California.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I played. I lived basically by a golf course called the Navy Golf Course, where a gentleman named Tiger woods played all the time.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

And I think I've heard of him. Yeah, you've heard of him. And I don't know if you're aware of this, but I used to play there and that's where I would actually see him as a kid. But we were the same age and, you know, so where I grew up was north Orange county. Beautiful area. I lived a very, I would say, fantasy childhood for the first 12 years of my life. And then my dad, who was a Vietnam vet, who owned a couple. He's an entrepreneur, owned a couple businesses and he was a bail bonds owner.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, wow.

[Matt Boyer]

Ironically. Yeah. Which is really funny considering what we're talking about. And then he owned an air tool supply company. So because there was no Internet then he was required to stay home and answer the phone because yellow page ads, there's no other way to get a hold of someone. So he developed a really bad drinking problem to the point where he's drinking 40 beers a day. And my mom over time just got over that because it got worse and worse. So after like three or four rehabs, they split up. And so at 12 years old, I had my first taste of like reality, you know, where the rug gets pulled.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Out and you had to become the man of the family essentially.

[Matt Boyer]

I was almost a therapist because my two older brothers were. One was graduating high school, one was in high school and they're doing their own thing and frankly they didn't care. I mean, they cared, but you know what I mean, they're off with their.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, it affected them differently because their age was different. One was getting out of the house. But you are still there and with your mom, correct?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And then I had my little brother who was eight, didn't understand obviously. So I was kind of like the. In fact, there was times where my dad would call drunk and my mom would just hand the phone to me because she tried and tried and he wasn't listening. And then, you know, he wanted to come back. So that was kind of traumatic. I didn't realize until later in life and. But what it made me do is watch my mom just become a complete hard working hustler to keep us in that house. She was working three jobs. Kidney dialysis technician, selling Jaffra products, making cakes, I mean anything she could to hustle, to feed four boys. Because my dad was just like going off the deep end as far as chasing women, just drinking and you know, really was non existent. And it was tough because my mom was just like fighting just to keep us going, you know. So I watched this and I decided to Start hustling myself.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

So I developed as an Orange county paperboy, and I started selling the Orange county register, and then I was hustling with baseball cards. And then I started taking a little bit of bets here and there.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Started running a poker ring. So all these little things I was doing while my mom was out working, and then I started making literally almost as much money as her at like, 16.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Wow.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, so wait, I want to hear about this. Running a poker ring as a teenager. How does that even work? So, and was it with kids your own age?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, they were. They were mostly kids.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And are we talking about dollars they're.

[Matt Boyer]

Playing with, like, the amounts were like 4 or $500, which at a 6. And this is 1990. Let's see, 95. Or. No, I'm sorry. It was 1991.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, that's a lot of money for kids that age now.

[Matt Boyer]

It's even a lot now. Yeah, but then it was even more so.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But were they stealing it from their parents? Was this their allowance?

[Matt Boyer]

This is what happened. So as I kept building this little poker ring, the neighborhood kids would, you know, come by and give me baseball cards or any other items that they could because they didn't have cash.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh.

[Matt Boyer]

So I started building other items. And then one of the kids had a little IOU in his pocket, so his mom did his laundry, and it said, I owe 340 to Matt. And so then we had an intervention at my house with all the moms.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

No way.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. It was like four of them. My mom was not happy.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, my God. So what happened? They were like, you need to stop. Or they're like, you need to get help.

[Matt Boyer]

Stop.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Because I was winning and doing well.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And to be honest, these kids were losing way more money than they could afford.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So did the parents see you as, like, just a bully that was taking kids money, or did they see you as having a gambling problem? Like, what was. What were they trying to get at?

[Matt Boyer]

Do you think they were more concerned with what their kids were doing?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right. Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

They. They didn't tell me this, but I think they respected that I was running a business, but they definitely knew that I was out hustling. Most of the kids got it because I was always finding ways to win. And then the baseball cards also was another way to hustle, because I would go around the neighborhood, and when I was delivering the paper when I was young, I would say, oh, hey, let's say you're out front with your cards. Oh, hey, Bob, you got some baseball Cards. Do you want to do some trading? And then they. Oh, sure. I'd go home and get the box of these crap cards that are worth nothing. And I'd say, I'll give you this entire box if you let me just go through your collection and I'll just take eight. And then I go through the collection and get Ken Griffey Jr. And Mark McGuire, rookies that are worth $10 or $12 and giving them a 3 cent baseball card. A bunch of them, I think, this big box. And obviously I'd have myself a nice collection of cards which I end up selling and buying a truck later at 16.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

No way.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, I never. Cause I didn't want to ask my mom.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Explain. Explain why baseball cards are so like, you can make so much money on them and you can do this now. I mean, I've seen storefronts in Manhattan that only sell baseball cards. It's shocking to me. I don't at all.

[Matt Boyer]

It's just the value of like, obviously the rare items, the older ones. So the value of these cards just continue to go up. Just kind of like no different than a Rolex.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And of course, over time, they get ruined and then the value of those cards go down. So the nice. They call mint condition ones become more valuable.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And so.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But are you saying that only a few companies made Derek Jeter's card or whatever?

[Matt Boyer]

Actually back then.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

And then over time, more companies come in and try to, you know, create baseball cards and there's more of a flood of them and the value of those cards are less. But all the older ones. Yeah. You can't reprint them.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

You know, you can't go make a card from, like you said, Derek Jeter's rookie card from. Let's call it 1992.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

You can't reproduce that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I've never understood this. Collector items, things. Like I remember. Do you remember when Beanie Babies became a thing and people were like, you can't cut the tag off and it's gonna be worth so much money. Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Even those dolls too.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right?

[Matt Boyer]

Even. Like just look at collector cars. Right. Like a 1966 Chevy. This. That.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I'm not a car guy. Well, I am a. I'm a Rolls Royce guy.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Who is?

[Matt Boyer]

Cars. You know, those I'm not into. But I do see why the value of those. You can't reproduce them. You can't make them. It's got the. Especially the ones that have like ultimate perfect leather from 19 whatever. I get that. But that's kind of the similar thing.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

How did gambling make its way into your life then? Besides that? That became a real thing.

[Matt Boyer]

I grew up going to the racetrack with my grandparents. My grandma, grandpa loved to gamble. You know, nothing crazy. We just go and have fun. And they were pretty well off. So we, we would go to this nice restaurant at Los Alamis Racetrack, which is real close to Cyprus, and we would get a nice restaurant and then we would gamble and they'd throw me like dollar trifectas or exacto. So I just started learning it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And then we'd also play money gamble for Yahtzee.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Family game. Yeah, I'll mess around.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I have it. I love it. I played that and Boggle. Those were the things we played growing up.

[Matt Boyer]

But you probably didn't play for money. No, we were.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And I was like, you know, 6, 7, 8, 10 years old. And so it was like in part of our family, you know, but it wasn't nothing crazy, nothing to where I took it, and it was just. I just enjoyed it. I'd love to add something to a game. And we're very competitive family, so my brothers and I would get in full fist fights over, you know, matches of Sega Genesis or Nintendo, you know.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And so with four boys in a household with basically a single mom, you can imagine what was going on.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right, right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So did you, did you go to college? Did you study to be something?

[Matt Boyer]

I had that chance.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, so what, when you were younger, who did you think you were going to become? What'd you want to be?

[Matt Boyer]

To be honest, I always thought I'd be a stockbroker.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Which kind of became one, but in commodities.

[Rachel Yucatel]

In commodities.

[Matt Boyer]

But my. My target of becoming a stockbroker was derailed by having a baby and getting my ex pregnant or my ex wife, who we're now, we have three beautiful girls together. We got her. She got pregnant at 18, so I was having a baby at 19 years old. So college was not an option.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So you were a dad.

[Matt Boyer]

I was becoming a dad. And I wasn't even really didn't even understand what I was going to do for myself, let alone raising a child.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And so you became a commodities trader. How did that come about?

[Matt Boyer]

So when I was 18, can you.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Just get like the training for that and go into it? You don't have to be a college graduate.

[Matt Boyer]

No, you can. Yeah. You have to pass a Series 3 exam. But I'll fast forward. When I was 18, when we found out she was pregnant, we lived on our own in an apartment in Huntington Beach, California. And we were broke. I was working two jobs, and all my ends meet, I would gamble away anyway. So.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, so by then you were also. You were gambling.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. Small, but. And I mean gambling never left, no matter what. It was either $50 or I was betting on something. Got it my whole life. Until today. Of course, I don't. But at that age, if I had $20 extra, I would gamble it, you know, just because I always felt like I could turn 20 into 500 or whatever.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But at 18, when she got pregnant, I had to really grow up. So we decided to. My mom lost the home that we lived in, I would say, when I was probably just turning 18, maybe. So she moved into a mobile home park in Dana Point, California. And it was very demoralizing for me because I always envision mobile home parks as trailer trash.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah, word.

[Matt Boyer]

It doesn't mean you are, but that's how I envisioned it. So at 18, she moved in there with my little brother in a two bedroom. And once she got pregnant, Monica did. I decided, we have to figure this out. I need to get a real job. But to do that, we're gonna have to move back in with my mom. So we're sleeping on the couch. And here I am with this $400 beater car. My girlfriend is pregnant. I don't even have a job, really. And I had to figure it out quick.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So I went to the local area that was opening a restaurant, and I said, I'll just be a waiter. Because waiters at 18, they can make pretty decent money. Enough to, you know, support a baby. So I walk in this restaurant, the GMs, like, I can hire you, but as a busboy, you have no waiting experience. I'm like a bus boy. I'm going to serve chips and salsa. Because it was a Mexican restaurant. He's like, well, you can work your way up. So I said, all right, I'll take the job. I need a job. So I started making more money in tips than the waiters because my personality was charismatic. And whatever they screwed up on or didn't provide, I would go do it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I didn't serve food. And in that, the reason I did that was, number one, that's who I am anyway. But number two, I saw it's a very affluent area. And I saw, like, guys coming in with nice watches and attractive wives, and you could just feel there was money.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So I was like, you know, this.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Is what I want.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. So I built relationships in that three or four months, to the point where people were coming in asking to sit in my section, but I didn't have a section. So the GMs like, okay, I'm gonna. I'll promote you soon. And by the time he went to promote me, this couple kept coming in and they said. The wife actually told me. She's like, you know, you're. You're really good. Why don't you come work for us? And I said, sure, I'll take it. I don't care what it is. I'll take the job. And they're like, well, no, no. You got an interview and you don't even know what it is. Come, come see for yourself. So I go to Marshalls and I get a cheap tie. Cause I don't even have one. And I drive in my beater car to Irvine, California. And I walk into this amazing opportunity. And what I envisioned was. Well, I didn't even know I was walking into, but what I saw was Wolf of Wall Street. But legal guys are just screaming in excitement and like, you know, had headsets on. And I don't even know what they're doing. I didn't care. But I saw these Ferraris and Mercedes parked out front in this beautiful corporate building.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And I walk in, and the gentleman I met, his name was Mickey. He was 28 years old. They had everything you would want. A beautiful wife, all the jewelry, nice watches. He had a Ferrari. And I knew he had lived in a nice house. I mean, you just knew. But he lived in, like, a crazy home in Bear Brown ranch. And he's 28 years old. And I'm like, this is. This is what I want.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I always loved money, and I was always fascinated by it. And the reason I want to be a stockbroker is because I love the movie Wall street and I just love that environment. So here I am almost in that same path that I envisioned that I wanted. But he sits me down and the interview goes really bad. He's. I mean, as a whole different person. It was, why. Why didn't you go to college? Why did you knock up your girlfriend? You don't have a job. I mean, he was belittling me. And after the interview, I was like, no way I'm getting this job. But he called me back, came back for another interview. And throughout the interview, I basically started standing up for myself. I said, listen, there's nobody here that's going to work harder than me. I promise you that. I have more grind, grit, determination. Anyone here? So if you want to give me a job, great. If not, you can tell me what I didn't accomplish in my life. So he respected that and gave me the job. But the job was twelve hundred dollars a month, sixty hours a week as a mailroom boy. So I'm like, okay, this is not the job I wanted, but it's a start. So what I realized, or what I didn't realize is that I was his personal assistant. So I had this mentor, this invaluable, you know, learning curve sponging all this, right. So I worked for him directly and then I just learned. I started studying the Series 3 exam on the side. I was first contact to the company. So every phone call that came in would be transferred to the broker and I would be the one transferring it. So I would just stay on the phone and hit mute and listen to the sales calls. So I just started getting all this education.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And long story short, I'm going to fast forward. At 20 years old, I got promoted to working for the top broker. And then about a year later at 21, I went and opened a discount company for him, a brand new firm because he trusted me. And then I was making $700,000 a year at 21 years old.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Wow.

[Matt Boyer]

Which was amazing because I had this opportunity that arose my parents home that they lost from my mom. It came up for sale and at 21 years old I bought it for 540, 000 and I moved back into my parents home. It was very weird because my, my dad's room had from cigarette smoke, three packs a day. It was like brown. So it literally the walls went from white to brown. And when I moved back into the house, obviously someone else purchased it, so it was a little different. So I painted the whole house and move in. I have a two year old girl, a little baby girl now and I'm 21. I have a Mercedes, all these things and I'm just like, my life is going the right direction and I move into this house and I have the perfect life in my opinion, right? So of course the problem is I love to gamble, right? So my gambling addiction starts kind of getting bigger and bigger to the point where I'm like, you know, all these guys keep losing money to bookies. I'm not, I wasn't really good at sports betting. And I have all these guys in this office that make a lot of money because I'm in this environment of Wolf of Wall Street. But I'm a family guy, so I don't do drugs. I'VE never done drugs, and I don't really drink a ton, but I love to gamble. But all these guys do all of this stuff and they do it to the max. They gamble, they do hookers, they do cocaine, they do it all. Because that's not all of them, but a lot of them. So I saw an opportunity. I said, why don't I just take their bets? I'm tired of losing myself. I can't win doing this, so let's just take their bets. So I started taking their bets. Well, they're betting a lot of money. And I was making a lot of money, so I started making very good money. And I'm like this, this is, this is a business here, you know, and then all of a sudden the Internet comes along. And when the Internet comes along, I see an opportunity to scale it. So I'm one of the first bookmakers to go down to Costa Rica and set up a shop down there and actually scale the business.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, wait, I wanna slow down for one second. Couple questions. Spoolback. What happened with your mom and the mobile home?

[Matt Boyer]

My mom, when I moved into my home, she met a man. And he's amazing. They're still married to this day.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, I love that.

[Matt Boyer]

He's a retired fire battalion chief and he swept her off her feet and she's living the best life.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, love hearing that. I'm curious why you picked your old house to buy when you could buy whatever you wanted. Do you think there's something psychological about that?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, it was like the. To this day, it was the fact that my mom lost it. Yeah, she fought for that thing so hard. And I know the feeling because I have a very similar situation now. I live in a $5 million home in San Juan Capistrano, California. And I'm in a position where I have to try to maintain and keep my family in that house. So I'm like reliving my mom's situation.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Self induced. But it's a tough situation because I'm trying, struggling right now to keep my kids in private school. I just got my daughter through Oregon. That was like $300,000 education and all that stuff. And I can't lose this house. You know, it's more like, if anything, I want to buy a bigger house. You know, I don't want to go backwards.

[Rachel Yucatel]

No, I understand.

[Matt Boyer]

So that dog fight is actually happening now. But answer your question. It was pride. I wanted like to kind of get that back. And I only lived there probably a year, year and a half. And then we Moved our company from Irvine to lease ovo. So it was too long of a drive. So I lived there about a year and a half. I sold the house. I think I took a small loss on it, actually. But it was so, so much pride and just happiness of buying this house.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And she must have been proud, too.

[Matt Boyer]

She was. Yeah, it was. It was really. I mean, to be 21, buying a piece of property and have a Mercedes and all the guys in my neighborhood. I wanted to be back in my neighborhood, even though it wasn't. It was a little bit of a drive to work, but I wanted them to kind of see what I've accomplished.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I was really proud of myself.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I love that story. Okay. You were talking about taking bets. So up until this time, you're gambling on your own. You see that other people are doing it and you're losing money. Were you using a bookie when you were placing bets? Because I want people that are listening to understand the whole process of placing a bet, how it works, who's involved.

[Matt Boyer]

All that stuff from 16 to. Let's call it 21. I was always betting with a bookie.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And our bookies. A legal job. A legal job. Sorry, it sounded.

[Matt Boyer]

They've become legal in some states.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

But the reality is there's no legal bookies because they're only now entities or corporations like Fanduel and DraftKings.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, right.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

They will never allow. Oh, I shouldn't say never. I don't believe they will ever allow a regular Joe, me, you, or whoever to open a bookmaking operation. They'll only give it to these conglomerate corporations because they control all the license.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And I've noticed that with some of Those, even with DraftKings or whoever it is, you can. Only certain states can participate in those. Right?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, 38 states as of now. California, where I live, still, is a no and probably will be for another two years.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But, like, I live in Florida and I tried to place a bet for like, a Kentucky Derby thing on some site, and they said I couldn't because I was in Florida.

[Matt Boyer]

Correct.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So is Florida one of the ones you cannot place a bet at all or just with some certain companies?

[Matt Boyer]

I don't live here, so I'm not positive on the statement, but I'm pretty sure that Florida is still a state. You cannot sports bet.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

I'm almost sure it is. But of course, there's casinos here, just like there are in California, so it's.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Legal within the casino. Oh, not even.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Like these. They're Indian reservations here.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Hard Rock and yeah. Is. Is Indian in California, it's Pachanga. They're all Indian reservations. They can take, you know, baccarat, blackjack, etc, but no sports vets.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Is that all Indian reservation casinos?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Like you go to Mohegan sun, but I thought there's like sports books, betting, you can.

[Matt Boyer]

Mohegan sun is in Connecticut.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And you can gamble on sports there. So they can take sports.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I see, I see.

[Matt Boyer]

But here in Florida, it doesn't matter if it's Indian. Not zero chance.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Got it. So first it's a state rule, and then it's within the casino itself.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

All right. So to place a bet, you have to use a conglomerate or a bookie.

[Matt Boyer]

Legal. Legal entity. Yes. Illegal would be a bookmaker. That which what I was doing. Right. Where you build a relationship with someone on the streets, let's call it. And you bet with their website as opposed to a FanDuel or DraftKings.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Got it. So your website would be competing essentially with those.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And how do you. On your. Within your website, how are you creating that to make the bet go through? Like, how does that actually work?

[Matt Boyer]

So in Costa Rica or Carousel or Bahamas or Ruba, there's mostly Costa Rica. There's a million different operations that facilitate all of that for a bookmaker in the United States.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I see.

[Matt Boyer]

And going back to when I was younger, as I was telling you earlier, I was one of the first guys to go down to Costa Rica and establish that relationship so that I could actually scale my business. But now it's. Everyone has them and they're everywhere. So there's a million bookies in the United States, Illegal bookies. Truly, there's a million. And they're all using mostly Costa Rica and they facilitate. They're a hub because it's legal there. And as long as the money is not transacted in Costa Rica, then Costa Rica. Well, even if it is, they don't care. It's legal.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But the bottom line, this is where it's illegal. If the money goes, you know, never. Let's say it goes to Costa Rica and it comes back to the US Is still illegal because it's in the.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I see.

[Matt Boyer]

But if it's in Costa Rica, like there are legal bookmakers in Costa Rica that you could send money to. And it's legal because it's in Costa Rica. And. But if they ever set foot here in the US they're going to have a problem.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay. And also explain, do people need to know you personally to place the bet. Or like someone like me could just find your. And place a bet that way. Does it work that way?

[Matt Boyer]

Okay, great question. You will definitely need to know somebody in my organization.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

To even get access to the website.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

The website is there. You could check it out, but you won't have a PIN and password to log in.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I see. I see.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So now explain to me about the cash flow that's going in and out. Some bookies you have to pay up.

[Matt Boyer]

Front or never nowadays more than before.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I would say if you Fast forward back 10 years ago, credit was just given much easier.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Because the world was different.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

You're going back to. I was not involved when the mob was around. I mean, kind of at the tail end of my life. I dealt with some people in the mob, but it was, like, dissipating because of cameras and federal government and everything. So credit was given and people paid more.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Nowadays, people are very keen to just say, no, thank you. I'm not paying you in a nice summon. That's in a nice format. And they just don't pay. It's just there's more people that stiff now than ever in history of sports betting.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And because it's illegal, you can't actually go after them unless you're, like, physically doing some harm and threats. And this is how you see all in the movies, that people are getting killed or threats against their family or whatever.

[Matt Boyer]

Correct. And bookmakers don't do. Sorry to cut you out, but bookmakers don't. Smart bookmakers nowadays don't ever have violence or put their hands on people because they realize they're, A, gonna end up in the same shoes I'm in worse, or B, they're gonna ruin their business because the feds are gonna get called. So they really just learn to let it go. And now it's about vetting your customer better.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it. Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But why? Like, how do you vet a customer? I mean, listen, if we're talking about a million dollars on a beta, I'm assuming you make them do a smaller bet beforehand so you know they're good for it or you check their credit. I don't really know how that works.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, no, it's kind of all of the above. So the first thing I look at is who's referring me the business.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

You know this as well as anyone. The circle of your friends are usually, you know, if you're running in a circle of Jeff Bezos friends, like, he's probably Gonna be one of his friends is probably not gonna not pay you.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right?

[Matt Boyer]

They probably have the money, right? But if you're taking wagers from a guy who. Nothing wrong with this, but you work at Taco Bell, he's probably going to be less likely to pay you a big balance, so you get credit. That being said, it really comes down to the relationship of who's referring who, you know, and if that person is somebody who's always been honorable and, you know, we have a really good relationship, I'd be more keen to give more credit to whoever he brings in. Of course we're having a conversation. All right, who is John, what's he do, and why do you. Why are you referring him to me? Why does he need a bookie? You know why.

[Rachel Yucatel]

It also makes the guy look bad if, you know, if I refer someone and this guy stiffs, you know, that's humiliating to me, too. So you want to keep those circles close and honest, because I'm going to.

[Matt Boyer]

Call you and say, rachel, you referred me, Bob here. What's the deal with this guy? I mean, you know, I've only known him for two years, but he's been great. And, you know, he's got a eight gas stations or whatever you told me, and I'm like, well, he's not paying me. What's going on? But that vetting is so important, and it's actually the most important thing, because if I give credit to somebody and they beat me for money, which has happened many times, and I pay them now, the money's gone. And if they lose and they don't pay me, I'm not getting that money back.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Exactly. That's why I would think that this is a very scary thing for you, because if you are the bookmaker, or whatever you call it, the guy holding the book, it's on you to come up with the money if you lose, no matter what, and you don't know 100% of the time that you're going to get that money. And it's like taking from Peter to pay Paul and to make sure. Okay, so when you started it, going back to where you said you were working with these guys and, you know, you saw an opportunity, did you offer them credit, too, or were they giving you money in advance? Like, how did that all start?

[Matt Boyer]

These guys, first of all, I worked with them, I knew what kind of money they made, and we had relationships, so I wasn't worried about that. In fact, if they didn't pay, we would completely make a fool of them. And they're in the office. So that was easy. But it's once I started going outside of that tree where the issues started rising. Right. Because he's referring his buddy from college and he claims he's got money, but he really doesn't.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

There's a lot of people in the world, as you know, that floss and act as if they do and they really don't.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Especially where I live in Orange County.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I would say the majority of people act like they have something.

[Matt Boyer]

I agree with that.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Matt Boyer]

That's the truth. So you're hoping that you're getting customers that aren't that way. Of course. And you have to minimize the damage when it is occurring by. Like you said earlier, maybe I give, a guy wants to bet 5,000 a game and maybe a hundred thousand dollar credit line, but the referral's not strong. So I'll say, hey, you can put up $50,000 and you can get that credit line, or I'll let you bet 2,000 a game and I'll give you 20,000 in credit to start. Let's do some transactions first. Let's kind of get to know each other. And I want you to see that I pay, too.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, you don't know me from Adam. Right. So what if I don't pay you?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Obviously, I've come highly recommended, but let me prove to you that I pay.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

You know, and that's really an excuse to say, let me make sure you pay.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right. Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay. So just so that people understand the level of what you are doing, can you tell me, like, how many people were working for you? What kind of sports you guys were betting on? And on any given day, are you watching everything from soccer, baseball, basketball, whatever, and you're dealing with hundreds of people and bets? Or like, how are you managing all this in your head?

[Matt Boyer]

When the feds raided me on October 5, 2023, I had about 800 clients active.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I had probably 1200, but only 800 were actively betting. The other 400 probably owed me quite a bit of money. And they're on pause.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

To be honest, but they would come back if I was still in the business. That being said, every Monday, I would say I was moving five to $7 million throughout the country. And I had 48 agents throughout the country that worked under me to explain what an agent is as someone who doesn't want to take the exposure or the risk that I was, but wants to be part of the business. So let's pretend that you live in Florida. You're about to be married. Maybe he gambles. Maybe he has 10 friends that do. You would contact me and say, hey, I want to make some money off these guys. They're going to gamble anyway. I'll set up all 10 of them. I'd set up 10 accounts for you. You'd give them all PIN and passwords. They would gamble through my site. You would collect or pay them with my money. You know, if they won, I would send you the money. You would pay them if they lost. Let's just say for argument's sake, they lost 100,000 for the week. You would give me my piece, which is anywhere from 50. You would keep 50 to 10%, depending on how much work you did. So let's just pretend, for argument's sake, you got 40%. You would obviously send me 60,000. You would keep 40,000 bucks for that week, and everybody would pay you.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So it wasn't that you were necessarily going all over the country looking for people to work for you. It was that eventually you would find people. People that said, hey, I can bring in this kind of business. I don't want to be the big man, but I will be your intermediary or whatever. Okay, I see. Now, can they get in trouble for that?

[Matt Boyer]

Yes.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay. And has anyone gotten in trouble for that or they all disappeared? No. I mean, in your situation.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

No.

[Matt Boyer]

Not one person? I. I wouldn't give up one person, one of my agents to the government.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But how are they making a living now?

[Matt Boyer]

Honestly, I think a few of them got scared and shut it down.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I would say majority of them just went right to the next book, you know, literally. Bookmaker.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, wow.

[Matt Boyer]

Instead of calling me, they just went to John down the street.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And does that make you resentful that there are so many other bookmakers that didn't get in trouble or don't get in trouble.

[Matt Boyer]

I want to answer this honestly. I'm not a victim, and I definitely am accountable for my actions, but it's frustrating to see some people that are still out there making tons of money doing what I was doing. And, you know, I'm no longer able to do so.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

If I was able to, if they allowed me to have a license, then I would be happy to do this business and give the government their piece and just do exactly what DraftKings and FanDuel were doing. But it's not going to happen.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So. But now explain that, too, for people that are listening. How could you do this in a legal way, like draftkings is owned by not one person.

[Matt Boyer]

It's a. I think it's a publicly traded company.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But yeah, so to get that license, you're going to have to be some conglomerate and you're going to have to know some congressman or this or that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right. Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So it's just not. It's not as easy as anybody thinks. It's.

[Matt Boyer]

Here's a good example. Is marijuana allowed here in Florida?

[Rachel Yucatel]

I don't smoke it. I think so, yes.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay. So they only give so many licenses.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Same thing in California. And to get a license is very difficult.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

It's usually, I don't want to say how people get licensed, but I believe it has to do with a little bit of money under the table and this and that. And I believe that that's sadly how this all works. I mean, FanDuel and DraftKings, I'm not saying they went and slipped somebody money, but it's clearly they have relationships. And. Yeah, you. You and I are never, I don't want to say never, probably unlikely ever going to be able to get a gaming license to be a sports.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But, I mean, it's not like you could go translate this and become the CEO of DraftKings.

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, I could have. So that's why I don't like to play victim. I had that opportunity just like whoever the CEO is. So I don't want to act like I couldn't have, but I think it would have been very difficult.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And he's probably prevented from gambling, I would think.

[Matt Boyer]

I bet you. I bet you he's not, but I bet you he doesn't. Right assumption.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah. Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

All right, so now let's get into. Back into your story. And again, as we talked before, I know that you've talked all about the war stories and all that kind of stuff, but just in a, you know, tell me how much you were making in a week losing and how much you were actually clearing for yourself. Other people that were coming to you, you can name names. Not name names, but like, what kind of money was, you know, being changed hands?

[Matt Boyer]

So the business, I was moving, like I said, five to seven million dollars a week. But some weeks I would lose two million dollars.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

The next week I might lose two more million and then I'll have. The following week I'll win four.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But when you say lose 2 million, did that mean out of all the bets, you would be behind 2 million and that. And that would have to come out of your pocket because too many people won?

[Matt Boyer]

Correct.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But so not your personal betting.

[Matt Boyer]

No, that's different. That's a whole different conversation we could talk about. But my actual business wise, over time, would never lose. I mean.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

It was. It was unbeatable the way I ran it. And it's just so hard to win sports betting anyway. I would say truly less than 1% over time ever beat sports betting. And I mean, as a profession, right. There are people that have runs one whole season or six weeks in a row. That happens. But over time, it's really difficult because every bet you make, you're laying 10% in juice or vigilance.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

So just to break that down, for someone who doesn't understand it, if you bet $100 on a football game or a basketball game, you have to risk $110.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

So if you lose the game, you lose 110. If you win, you only win a hundred dollars. Right. So over time, after all these bets, that 10% eats you alive. Because if you go five and five, you pick five winners, five losers, you obviously just lost the juice five times.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right, right.

[Matt Boyer]

And that's a whole nother bet. So it's so difficult to overcome that over time. That's why most people lose.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

For my personal betting, I was a wild animal. So I would be on a plane with $2 million every few weeks, flying all over the country with my wife and kid and all my kids sometimes and my nanny and. Yeah, that was a whole. That was bananas.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So to do all this though, do you have to actually know sports really well or people are just betting based on their gut? I mean, how are people.

[Matt Boyer]

You need to know sports.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah, you do.

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, you don't have to. I mean, you could run this business and not. But I just don't know anyone that ever has done that. Like I.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Right, but you hear all these guys that sitting around talking about how much they know about sports from their couch or even from tv.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right, Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But then, you know, if you go back to Mike Tyson and that whole fight and how everybody talked about that fight for months leading into it, and then how people still didn't know how to bet because of the age gap and because of the health that was going on with Mike Tyson. And so I'm just curious, like, for that bet, for example, were you getting more people to come in on one side versus the other, or was it split down the middle? How did you feel about it?

[Matt Boyer]

To be honest with you, the more you know about sports, I think the less chance you have of winning. Why because the people who actually make money betting sports are MIT nerds that don't even know the game, don't understand it. They're running algorithm robots simulating the game 100%.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Like Moneyball or whatever that was.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. It's. It's literally like a Harvard grad kid that when I say simulates a game. I mean, to the point where a person who watches sports and enjoys sports would never waste their time doing that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

You know, that's not fun for them.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

They'd rather say, oh, Josh Allen's the best quarterback, and I'll tell you why. And they know a lot about sports, but there's a reason why the spread is there. You still gotta cover the spread.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And then over time, again, the juice of the vig is gonna eat them alive. So, truth be told, I know more about sports than 99% of people watched 8 million games. But I still can't. Still can't beat it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right, Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And it's funny that you say that, because I took part in the college basketball group, whatever it was, contest for my fiance's company. So we're talking like 35, 40 people. And I came in number two. I had never watched college basketball in my entire life.

[Matt Boyer]

Was this for the March Madness?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah. And so, by the way, it was so much fun because, of course, all of a sudden, I was like, most. Most of the time I was winning until the last day or whatever. And I just thought I knew everything about sports all of a sudden, you know? But I picked based on the colors or if I liked whatever city they. Or their mascot. I don't know. I don't even know.

[Matt Boyer]

It didn't matter. It worked.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah, it worked.

[Matt Boyer]

So that's my point. Like, you don't watch sports all the time, you know, and you're not. You don't even know half the players or any of the players, probably.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And these guys watch it every damn game, every which way, and they can't figure it out.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But I can admit, it was fun.

[Matt Boyer]

It's exhilarating.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

The dopamine rush. And imagine putting a million dollars on a football game.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Or whatever. Basketball game. It's. It's exhilarating. It truly is.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I. I hate to say this, but it's. It's like I've never done ecstasy, but I think for me, I would describe it as like, the best sex of your life or the best ecstasy you've ever had.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Heroin, even. You know, I've never done heroin, but I hear about These people have done this and they're the high. They feel the dopamine rush. At least I can speak for. For myself from gambling. I get that.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Now I want to ask you about. Is there any level of responsibility in what you do if you see that one of your clients is an athlete, let's say, and you see that they're betting on their own sport? I mean, I'm assuming that's illegal for them to do.

[Matt Boyer]

I can honestly tell you that I've never seen or knew of athlete betting on their own particular sport through me.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I've seen many athletes that were betting on other sports and definitely were, you know, gambling, but never like fixing, rigging games. I. I for sure wouldn't want to be part of that for two reasons. One, I appreciate the integrity of the game. Number two, that's going to get me in trouble.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And I knew that. And, and I mean big trouble, because they're going to make an impact. If there's a bookmaker that's allowing that to occur and knows of it, or even doesn't know of it, really, it's going to be a big problem.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

That person's going to. I got a year and a day. I guarantee you. I would have got a lot worse if I was in on something like that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay. Before you met Ippy. So you pronounce the name Ippei. Sorry, I'm going to mispronounce that 10 times tonight.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Today.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I'm sorry.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Ippei, before you met him, what was life like? What was the business like? Were you doing super well? Did you have all the clients you needed? You had no issues?

[Matt Boyer]

I was doing very, very well. But of course, another $16 million didn't hurt my situation.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But, yeah, my business was flourishing dramatically. If I never met Ippei, to be honest, I think I'd still be a bookmaker and I think my life would be financially great. But that day in October 5th was one of the best days of my life.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Why?

[Matt Boyer]

When the Feds raided my home.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Why?

[Matt Boyer]

Because I was at a fork in the road. Even with my personal relationship with my wife. We have the best marriage ever. But she was getting a little rundown from the gambling and how much it was overtaking me because I'm such a. I think you're a very similar person. I'm very all in and to the point where my head is down and I just. I almost lose sight of other things.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So I wasn't as present as a husband, as a father, that I should Be. And it kind of ran its course. I mean, we're talking like 20 years of high, high stress gambling and, you know, putting yourself in very interesting situations.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Part of it. My book describes, you know, guy pull a pistol and. Yeah, who needs that? Right. I'm a father of five.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And I toned all of that down. The minute I met my wife, I stopped anything that was kind of gray area.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I was in a gray area business. But I meant, like, shaky. I wouldn't go knock on someone's door anymore. I didn't do any of that. But she was getting really tired of it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And it was funny because from the outside, everybody was like, well, how do you get tired of jumping on a plane and on a G550 and flying to Vegas and having a butler and 10,000 square foot room and, you know, millions of dollars and I'd buy her whatever she wanted. She didn't care about that stuff. I mean, she wanted to have her husband and her family.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, at the core, I think. I mean, from the little. I know you guys. You guys are family people, though.

[Matt Boyer]

Very much so.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And somewhere along the line, she got a little bit involved in this. Can you talk? Can you explain to people? Because it was kind of genius that, you know, now that she's traveling with you and doing all this stuff, that she would become part of it.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. My wife actually enjoyed gambling. And she is very intelligent woman. Like, one of the things that attracted me to her, aside from aesthetically the way she looks, which is amazing, but internally she's like, even better person. And her brain is. I mean, she graduated usc, she speaks three languages, she studied abroad in Spain, she's traveled. I mean, there's so many things about her that I could go on and on. And what I realized is that she started asking me business questions about my business as I got to know her more and more. And she got more enthralled in my life. And I was impressed with the questions because there were questions like another bookmaker would ask me.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And she would have a better sense. You know, women are, in my opinion, sharper than men. So she would have a better sense of when a guy was gonna stiff me before I would. And I read people very well.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

But there would always be, like a guy that would. Because I'm a salesperson, sometimes we are the easiest to be sold. She would sniff that one out. There's like a two or three guys. She'd be like, I don't feel good about that. And then I'd be, no, no, no, he's cool. He's. He's great. He's this and that and then stiff.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Or problem.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And I'd be like, wow, she just has that. That sense, you know?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

So in this process of building our relationship, I started realizing, like, I'm. I'm making all these hosts all this money. Every trip I was going, I was gambling so high, the host would make like $30,000. And I said, you know what? Why don't I pitch the casinos to allow my wife to be a licensed host? Because we have a group of gamblers too. All of my customers gamble. My sports betters.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And they go to Vegas or wherever. And if my wife can facilitate that and get them comps, etc, she can make a living on the side.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

She was already building her clothing brand, but why not?

[Rachel Yucatel]

So is that a normal thing or were you creating a job that didn't exist?

[Matt Boyer]

It's never happened.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

There's no gambler that I know that has ever had their wife become their host.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And, you know, here's the great part about it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Or so an independent casino host, that means she could have been one at any casino, not just at one.

[Matt Boyer]

Correct.

[Rachel Yucatel]

That's what was different about it. And she could travel with you guys. And as opposed to you just going to the Venetian or whatever, we were.

[Matt Boyer]

Able to negotiate deals with throughout the country.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Did she have to give a portion of her proceeds or whatever to a casino house there to work under their umbrella or anything? So it doesn't work.

[Matt Boyer]

The only part that was difficult was if I was already established at a certain casino, they wouldn't pay her because I already was going there.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, I see.

[Matt Boyer]

So we didn't get license at some casinos like Caesars or. Actually, she got licensed. Caesar's Palazzo, Venetian.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Because I had hosts there. I've been going there for years. So they're like, we're not going to pay her when we're already paying our employee to handle.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

You got it.

[Matt Boyer]

So there was some logistics, but.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But is there a negative to it that I know when you go to certain casinos, they comp you everything. They send a jet for you, they give you the biggest villa because she wasn't associated with that hotel. Did they take any of that away?

[Matt Boyer]

No. Because basically they're gonna have to provide that to get my business anyway.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Got it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So that was the draw.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. And we would negotiate, basically. I was going to Resorts World, for example, was new to me. I've never been there.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So it Was easy to make her, you know, a license rep through them.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Sure.

[Matt Boyer]

Because I would be a brand new customer to them.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

So that part was easy. It's just when you go to some of these other ones that maybe I've been to, but it was been three years, then you can negotiate. Listen, he hasn't been there in three years. So if you want them back, here's. I'll be your. I'll be the host. And so you negotiate stuff like that. But the key for the reason why this was so good is number one, she was making up to $30,000 just on me alone per trip. And then, of course, our entourage. I was bringing 10, 15 players as well. And so she's getting paid on all their play.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Wow.

[Matt Boyer]

And then we were negotiating my deals. So, you know, there's no better negotiation when you could do it yourself.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Usually it's. You call a host, you tell them what they want. And I'm not talking about rooms. And that's all. I get that anyway.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I'm talking about promo chips, discounts. You know, I would negotiate a 20% discount on my house. That's huge. You go lose $2 million, you're getting $400,000 back.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

That's big. Also getting $100,000 in chips walking in the door.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I would get my wife a $25,000 gift card to crystal shops.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, that's a purse or whatever. You know, it's nice to get these additional things that you would never get without having that, you know, being able to negotiate it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So what potentially could she be on the hook for? I mean, they haven't come after her yet or they've taken away her license.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, she's definitely been. Her license is gone. She basically. Nevada Gaming Control Board, who handles that, is possibly coming after her for civil fines because they're saying that she allowed her husband to gamble knowing he was an illegal bookmaker.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

Which is.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Which is why I asked that question previously. If there's a morality clause to knowing who you're dealing with. So I see.

[Matt Boyer]

Know your customer. Yes.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Know your customer.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And apparently she was supposed to know this rule, but that's really the compliance job of the casino.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

Which is why we. We are just, like, up in arms. I'm already dealing with my situation.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I'm accountable for my action. I'm going to prison. I paid my restitution. But my wife is not a compliance person. Her job is to come in and bring in guests. Compliance. Does compliance. So we Just were baffled by the fact that she all of a sudden. And by the way, I want to paraphrase this. She was supposed to be ran through a course by the casinos.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

Which never occurred. So how could she even know these rules when she never even was taught the rules or trained on the rules she was supposed to know, so to speak.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So if we're talking about know thy customer, how come the casinos themselves aren't in trouble?

[Matt Boyer]

Well, they kind of are.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

That's why my case is still ongoing.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay. I've advanced my sentencing and I've chosen to move on, and it's costing me time because of it, but.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, but case is not closed. No. Oh, okay. Tell me why.

[Matt Boyer]

Because know your customer rule was not being followed, and the federal government is currently. I'm going to use the word arguing because I don't know where it's going to go with Resorts World Casino.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And they are both negotiating, I believe, a settlement, but I can't speak on this behalf because they don't tell me. And I ask, but I pretty much know that that's what's occurring. And I don't know what's going to happen, if it's going to be zero fine, or if it's going to get dropped or if it's going to be 50 million.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But your piece is out of it.

[Matt Boyer]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So that's going to be between the government and the hotels or the casinos or whatever.

[Matt Boyer]

Correct.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And is it just Resorts World or is it kind of now. It's coming down on a lot of casinos. That there's got to be plenty of people like you. And why are they not looking into that?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

That.

[Matt Boyer]

So The Wynn paid $130 million about a year and a half ago. That was the biggest fine ever.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Relating to what, though? To.

[Matt Boyer]

To this situation, to money laundering, allowing a guest. Yeah. So it's very similar.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

MGM Mirage Corp. Paid like seven and a half million.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Wow.

[Matt Boyer]

Recently. And then Resorts World did pay $10.5 million to Nevada Gaming Control Board, which is separate. That's the one that's possibly going after Nicole, but the government situation is still outstanding. So I. I do believe there's going to be a fine there. Some of these other casinos, I think, skated by, because, you know, you do need evidence and you need to, et cetera. So I don't know if other casinos will pop up with problems, but as of now, Resorts World, I believe, will be the key to this case and what it's going.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, so let's get into now how it all came crashing down.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Sure.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And it seems like when you met Ippei Pay, that this became the turning point because what, it got too flashy because the money coming back and forth was. Was more than you had before. How did you get found out?

[Matt Boyer]

Truth is, everyone thinks that because of the name Shohei Otani in Ipei. That's not even why I got in trouble.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

It's back to what we just discussed. It's the casinos.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

They came to me because of the casinos. And then Ippei just happened to unfold because as you know, when you. When you uncover something, that's when you find out a little bit more of the story. And they had no idea how big my business really was. And also meaning did they.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Did they think you were coming in as you as an individual just being flashy and spending this kind of money there and you had your wife. Okay, so explain.

[Matt Boyer]

They knew I was a bookmaker, they being the federal government and the casinos, let's be real. But I was raided in 2014. I signed an abandonment form. They took some money. Everybody went on their own way. So I don't hurt people. I do pay taxes. So I think they were just like, ah, he's not a big enough target. But I became a target. And this is all my assumption, by the way, but pretty close to accurate. They became a target once they went after the casinos and they saw that I lost $13 million through their casinos, which is a large amount of money. And then clearly they knew that I was a legal bookmaker. So if you're going to get a casino on a charge of not following kyc.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Here's a perfect candidate for that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

So I believe that's what led them to my driveway with 29 agents as I put my son in my wife's G wagon Right. That morning. But that, that as far as Ippei and Shohei Ohtani situation, that didn't even come out until later. And that, that came out because ESPN came to my home and had some sources that knew that. That I was receiving wires from Shohei Ohtani.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

So then we had to tell the federal government, so.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, so you had to come clean about that because you knew that you were about to be on the news about that.

[Matt Boyer]

That's. That's correct.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it. Wow. Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

I actually did not tell them because I didn't want to. As I told you earlier, I didn't want to talk about anyone on my phone.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I made an agreement that I would Discuss the casinos. And I don't want to give up any of my agents. I truly.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Or your clients or whatever.

[Matt Boyer]

I don't want nobody to get in trouble. It's my business. I deserve to fall on the sword. I mean, why would anyone else have to. To fall with me, right?

[Rachel Yucatel]

This became a big story because of Ohtani's name, and that's why it became mainstream. It's not just a sports story. It was bigger than that. And I think, too, you know, and you know how this Bravo verse, Bravo universe works, that these people sometimes are bigger to the average person than the biggest star. So what I recall is that a couple. A year ago, a couple months ago, whenever it was, there were some episodes that had to do with Jen and Ryan. And, you know, I guess it was. Tamra kept saying in a drunken state, something around the. You know, along. Yeah, along the lines of, the FBI have raided. You are gonna raid you. And it was like all this weird, questioning, foreboding stuff, and no one really knew what it meant. And then you saw that he was cleared or not really part of it. And I don't know if they talk about it on the show or not, because I don't really watched that, and I don't think they've harped on it that much, but it was a little bit of a storyline. So he's not part of this?

[Matt Boyer]

No, he's never been part of my business. What the reality and the truth is, he did receive some wire transfers for me because I was debanked. I wasn't allowed to receive wires. Well, I didn't have a bank account.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So you needed him as a bank.

[Matt Boyer]

He was a friend of mine, and he was best man at my wedding. And so I needed to throw a wire transfer to somebody because I needed to receive a wire. So I asked him, will you take a wire? So he did, as a friend. And what turned out is we started going to Resorts World together because he gambled with me.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

And I started losing a lot of money. And then he had a credit line at Resorts World where he was gambling, and my wife was the host, so we were allowed to give more credit. So I was like, hey, Ryan, let's bump up your credit line. And so we bumped up his credit line, and then guess what? I lost. So the only way to pay that credit line was to send a wire to his bank account to pay the casino.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, I had the worst run of my life gambling. I've been gambling for 20 years. I've never lost this kind of money, I lost $13 million. So it just kept adding up, and I just kept losing. So all this money from Shohei Ohtani was being wired in. I just kept losing at the casino, obviously, Tamra.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And when you say that. Sorry, just so we all follow. You're getting money and then you're losing money, but you're losing it because you're gambling it for others, or this was the personal loss you were talking about.

[Matt Boyer]

Personal loss.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay. Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

And some of it I would use to hedge my business a little bit. Like, if a person bets $500,000 in a football game, and I liked that football game, meaning I thought I was gonna win, I might bet it at the Resorts World Casino.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

So it's kind of a little bit of a hedge, but never. Doesn't matter. Cause the government didn't want to hear that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

That being said, yeah. Ryan received a bunch of wires, and of course. Course, had nothing to do with my business. But Tamara was alluding that he did, and. Because he wasn't saying anything because his attorney told him not to.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And she didn't know the facts. How could she? Which is fine. I mean, she probably thought she was onto something. And you can see how he was part of the story, but not part of the story. So I get it.

[Matt Boyer]

And I get that. Well, there's smoke, there's fire, and there was smoke, but there wasn't really fire because he was definitely not part of my organization. She kept saying, he's a bookie, and. And, you know, all this stuff.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

But he did receive some wire transfers, and that. That is accurate.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But he has no part of my business. He's never been a bookie. He's never. He really doesn't even.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Did that affect your friendship?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, it did. Because, you know, anytime you're in a federal indictment and you're having the government sit, you know, have a colonoscopy up you. It's. It's. It's very interesting.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And everyone's nervous and everyone's scared, and. And everyone doesn't know what to do and who to talk to. And can you call them? Can you not? So, yeah, it's created a little tension between us, but we're friends. It's not like we don't like each other. It's just we were really, really close. And then Ryan handles stress a lot different than I do, clearly. I've been under the gun my whole life, really, since I've been 12, as far as stress levels. And I think I handle it very well. I don't think he's great at handling stress and these. Well, most people aren't in these situations. So he's reacted a little bit more of a taken back. And so I've been more, as you notice, in front of the charge. I mean, I've just been addressing the truth from day one. My attorneys think I'm nuts. My attorney hated what I was doing.

[Rachel Yucatel]

By the way, really. So, you know, it is really interesting. You somewhat remind me of Rod Blagojevich, and I don't know if you remember his story, but he did the Apprentice when he was up, you know, before he went into prison, and he was waiting to see what was gonna happen to him. He was very vocal and people really questioned his, you know, the way he was handling it. His attorneys were like, you have to shut up. And he wouldn't. And he became such a big figure. Then he went away. But this was for 14 years, and Trump ended up pardoning him after seven. I got to interview him after that. And a fascinating guy, by the way, and deserves to be, you know, in front of the camera, a politician, have a book story, whatever, because that's his personality. And it's similar to you in the way that, listen, he wanted to take responsibility for the things he did. He was very much, you know, still saying these things I didn't do.

[Matt Boyer]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

The things I did do. Right. These things I did do. And then, by the way, when you're playing a game and everyone is doing this illegal thing or this thing you shouldn't be doing, you can't be. You can't compete with them unless you are doing that illegal thing. So he's like, this is what I had to do to be a politician, essentially. So, you know, it was a very interesting way for him to handle it. But I see that for you. You are someone who wanted to take responsibility, wanted to get it over with, get that initial pain over with so that you can move on. And I want to get into what you want to do later and what you're going to do. But I just want to finish the conversation about Ohtani because his translator, Ippe. Thank you. Is now in jail and got, what, five years, 57 months.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And, you know, how do you feel about that?

[Matt Boyer]

I feel terrible. Listen, I love money. I love to make money. I love business, but I've never tried to get a customer to come bet with me. Well, first of all, they come to me anyway, but I've never had a customer where I wanted to clean them Dry or. Of course I wanted to make money off of every customer I've had.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

But I've never, It's never been about that. I've always tried to. To let them gamble and be entertained and afford it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, if they lose all their money, they can't be a customer anymore.

[Matt Boyer]

So that hurts me as well.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And then also, you know, at the end of the day, I had so many customers. I was making so much money at one guy, you know, beating himself up and affecting his wife and kids. That doesn't make me feel good.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I am human, you know, I like money, but I'm human. So for Ippei, I didn't know it was ever going to lead to this. I mean, people ask me, well, how'd you let this translator do this? Well, I thought I was showing you Tawny betting with him. I didn't know, I didn't care.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

There was no. They didn't show any distrait. They were. Until the end, I had no idea this even going on. But I feel terrible that his gambling addiction put this man in prison for 57 months and lost one of the best jobs you could ever have. Yeah, maybe he didn't make. He only made a quarter million dollars. Well, only. Still a lot of money, but, but you know, he would endorsements and all the things. His future were so bright and being part of the Dodgers won the World Series, he didn't get to enjoy that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Now he's in prison and he's known as a thief.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So can we talk about that? Cause I don't think. I definitely don't understand it. And so I think a lot of people don't understand it. This is a guy who's making a quarter of a million dollars a year as an interpreter.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Did he come into the picture with Ohtani like they knew each other from.

[Matt Boyer]

Way back when or not really, but they were really, they were like best friends. Okay, I will tell you that.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I guess they had to because Ohtani doesn't speak English. Is that true by the way? Who doesn't speak English?

[Matt Boyer]

He does. I don't know how well he does, but he understands it. From what I've been. He doesn't. I don't think he's fluent, but he understands it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Okay, so a guy like that, how does he get in with the big time people like you? And we were talking about know thy customer how when he's spending this money, you, as you just said, you obviously thought it was them together gambling. Cause he would never have that kind of money. That kind of money, and you didn't question it. And it is what it is. But where? So he goes to prison because he was stealing. Correct?

[Matt Boyer]

Correct.

[Rachel Yucatel]

How does that happen? How does no one around this guy Ohtani protect his money and say, where are all these millions going every week?

[Matt Boyer]

It's still a question that I answer honestly, and I'm going to say it again, and everyone still doesn't even believe me. I don't know the exact facts because only Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mazuhara know exactly what occurred. But what I do know is they never bet baseball, they being that account. I do know that Epay Mizahar was the only person I ever spoke to. And I do know that he sent all the wires from Shohid's bank account. And I also know that there was a report that when this hull broke that has not been put out, that Tisha Thompson spoke to IPPEI for 90 minutes on the phone because she was the one that came to my home. And that interview, I'm going to call it, which was on the phone, he said Shohei Otani sent the first wire transfer and knew of at least the first wire. I don't know the details beyond that, but that I do know, because what.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Was the amount of the first wire?

[Matt Boyer]

First one was 300,000. Okay, but does that mean that maybe he told his friend, hey, I'll help you out a little bit. I feel bad that you're, you know, struggling.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I'll front you this.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Whatever.

[Matt Boyer]

I do know this Shohei Ohtani has been known to never gamble ever. Like, and you don't just gamble $40 million. All of a sudden you're either a gambler or you're not.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, was this the first time he came into that much money? I don't even know.

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, he, you know, first time he was making, like, serious money made, but the real serious money came later anyway.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But keep in mind, the money that was sent, I kind of figured this out. He had to, like, wait to send me wire transfers. And it was because the. The bank account he had access to was the Angels paychecks.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

When he played for the Angels, the endorsement account, bank account, he didn't have access to.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

So that's where the real money was.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

I see.

[Matt Boyer]

He was making much more endorsements. So I don't think Shohei really. I really believe this. I don't think he really even looked at it. Yeah, I know that sounds wild. I don't see how someone didn't look at it for 17, 18 months. If it happened in a week or two, that'd be different.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So I do believe, and this is my belief, I do believe that he was aware and helped. Helped his friend a little bit. I don't think he gambled, but I think the Dodgers came in and said, look, man, let's just make this easy. Let's make this really clean, cut and dry. You had no knowledge and it's that simple.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

That's my opinion.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

I don't want to accuse anybody of anything because I think Shohei Otani is the most amazing baseball player to ever walk the face of the planet. And I don't think he did anything wrong.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Right. I totally see what you're saying. There is a chance this could be the biggest cover up in Major League Baseball history and we could find something out way later in the future.

[Matt Boyer]

You're right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And it could have been something as simple as. You're right at the beginning, like he's admitting to that at the first wire, he gambled it. Shotani or Otani. But maybe that's what gave Ipe the idea to continue doing it without him.

[Matt Boyer]

Plausible. I can't argue with you because I don't have any facts.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I just know as a gambler, you. You don't like, go throughout your whole life and not be known to gamble.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Start gambling at that level.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Like I've been gambling since I was 12 or even earlier. And I've always loved to gamble. And everyone around me knows it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And the people that, like, I know that don't gamble, they don't even have an urge to gamble. I don't even want. They don't even like it. They're not going to just go, right. You know, crazy amounts of money on soccer games.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So that's what I want to talk about next though, because now, in a couple weeks from now, you are going to be turning yourself into prison. Gambling is an addiction and you've had to stop doing it. How are you handling that? How have you.

[Matt Boyer]

You know, the fact that I go to prison if I do it is an easy deterrent.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, I'm going to prison, but my charges will be not only quicker, but more.

[Rachel Yucatel]

What do you get your fix on now?

[Matt Boyer]

My wife and my business.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

They always say people change their addictions into a sexual addiction.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, I've had that prior. So my wife is stunning. So truth.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I know.

[Matt Boyer]

So attracted to her.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So. And she'll tell you that I'm like, Mr. Groper on her. She gets. She's like, calm down. But truth be told, that's what makes our relationship even better. The reality is I'm just dove into my brand, my new business, what I'm building, and almost to the point where even that's become. Because I'm all in full throttle, guy. Everything I've ever done. That's why I've been number one at everything I've done. I mean, I was the number one retail commodity broker in the world. I was the number one bookmaker in the world. I was Orange county register sales or paperboy. It doesn't matter what I do, I do it 130,000%.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So what are you gonna be the number one thing at when you get out?

[Matt Boyer]

I'm gonna build this massive brand where I'm selling books, motivational speaking. And eventually I have a. I'm gonna call it a community that basically follows me. And I inspire and motivate people and change their lives.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Lives.

[Matt Boyer]

And this is the first time in my life that I've ever done something where both people are winning. I win, and the person that I'm selling to wins. I love that it's the first time. Whereas before, it's always been commodities. I win, they gotta lose. I mean, I'm trying to make the money, but I know they're gonna lose because they just all lost money and bookmaking was the same thing. I need these people to lose for me to make a living.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right now.

[Matt Boyer]

It's like I can change someone's life.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

I can give them motivational things from stuff that I've endured that's tough. Or poor decisions I made. And they can maybe not make that poor decision. Or more importantly, maybe they're afraid to take some risk. I can push them to take risk. Educated, smart risk. Or enable them to lose some weight or make them change the way they treat their wife or whatever, because I'm not perfect. But I definitely have a lot of experience and I've been very successful. So I have a lot to give. And this is the first time that I could give. And actually, I'm finding a way where I know I can make money doing it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

What's the biggest fear? And listen, I know the biggest fear has gotta be leaving your wife and leaving your kids. So that is clear that that would be a fear. But, like being in prison, what is the fear?

[Matt Boyer]

I mean, I just don't want something to happen to escalate to where I get more time.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Which, by the way, people talk about happening all the time.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. I mean. Cause I'm going to, at all costs, defend myself. There's no way I'm going to let another human being, you know, harm me physically. Because I won't allow that.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

That being said, what if someone antagonizes me? I have a big ego. I definitely don't handle disrespect very well. Thank God. I'll be in a position where I just have to check myself and tell me, you know, remind myself it's not worth it. It's not worth it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

You got to put your. Just walk away or whatever. So I will diffuse every situation I can. But if someone starts putting their hands on me, I'm going to either hurt them or I'm going to get hurt. Somebody's going to get hurt.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Do you know where you're going?

[Matt Boyer]

Lompoc.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

What do you know about it? Like, what's the living situation going to be like?

[Matt Boyer]

It's not pretty. It's bunks.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

But I can show you a picture. I have people that are sending me pictures from Lompoc that I'm using currently.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, no way. So you have some automatic friends.

[Matt Boyer]

You know, I'm pretty popular as you are. Yeah, they're just people that.

[Rachel Yucatel]

They're so excited that you're coming.

[Matt Boyer]

I actually think some of them are.

[Rachel Yucatel]

That's amazing.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah. So.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And probably some people that are resentful.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, of course. I mean, they're gonna embrace people. There will be some people that will embrace me, but they're really not embracing me. You know, their motives are gonna be opposite.

[Rachel Yucatel]

So I have a friend who. Thank God I'm on his good side. Cause when you're not, he's a terrible enemy to have. But Michael Lohan, are you familiar with him?

[Matt Boyer]

That's right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

He is in prison right now. He gets out in a month. But he's been there for now. I wanna say something like five or six months. I speak to him all the time. Calls three times a week. And he is in a prison. That sounds very similar to what you're going to.

[Matt Boyer]

What state is he in?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right here.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Palm Beach.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And he seems like he's having the time of his life, I'll tell you that. I've got to get him on the phone with you.

[Matt Boyer]

He's in a camp, right?

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yes.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I mean, I don't know if it's called a camp or not, but similar. They have bunks.

[Matt Boyer]

Okay.

[Rachel Yucatel]

He runs a department. I forget what he does for his job. I think he helps with intake. So he Said, new prisoners coming in. Yeah. So I said. He said that the thing that really he loves, he gets to meet every new person that comes in. So he, like, starts that kind of relationship right off the bat. He loves that people look up to him and know that he has a platform, that when they get out, they think he can help him, whatever, you know, whatever. So for him, and he's been in prison a couple times, he has not had a terrible experience. And I love getting on the phone with him because I'm always like, did you get beat up? Do you have a boyfriend? Like, yeah, like, what's happening?

[Matt Boyer]

Poking the bear.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

And he's like, what are you talking about? But he has a great story, and he's working on a million things, and so it hasn't slowed him down. And I'm sure you've done all that research to know what you're gonna be doing when you're in there. So, like, will you be writing another book? Will you be like, what's the plan?

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, so I'm currently. I'm here for a reason. Right. People think I'm bananas because I'm not at home just whining like a baby or. Or more importantly, I'm trying to spend as much family time as I can, but I. I have to also work, and I got to build my brand. So the Next, you know, 23 days before I check in is work and balance of that. But in that process, I'm going to film a lot of stuff. So if my content will continue on my social media.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

In the meantime, when I'm in prison, I'll journal every day. Of course I'll work out. There's. That's something I'll do all the time. But I'll write another book, and I'll use that downtime to really reset and just come back and come back as a better human. And I'll build while I'm there. I'll do everything I can. You don't have Internet access, so to speak, but there are some tablets and things you can use that I will use to communicate with people on the outside, and I will just use every minute I can to rebuild and come out ready to go, which is what I've been doing, to be honest, the last two years.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Right, of course. And it gives you a whole nother chapter of your story. And not only that, I had a fast who went to Prison came out, and she runs one of the biggest literary agencies because she found a love for writing while she was there, but then she found A love for ghostwriting. And so she heard all these amazing stories in prison, ghost writing. And she writes for these people now that she's out. It's not like Prisoner, she's writing for it. But she's made the Oprah book list, like three times. Whatever that book thing is that Oprah does, she did something with the Dalai Lama. So she. I mean, it's totally revamped her life. But hearing those stories and connecting with people in prison, you know, I think that can be fearful for people. But sometimes it goes the other way. And you hear stories that you just learn from and you want to help tell those stories as well.

[Matt Boyer]

Well, I think in life, we all have. Everybody has a story. Everybody has a story. Some are a little bit more wild than others. I think yours and mine have aren't the average stories. But if you learn from that adversity and you learn to take the opportunities that you get in these down times and actually elevate it, you can really do some big things. Because in that adversity or in those rough moments is when you really forge who you become. I actually, in my book, there's a part I talk about this sculpture, and I'm creating that sculpture of myself now. It's like a statue I'm chipping at. And that's the ending of my book. And that sculpture, truly, over the last two years, I've been chipping hard at it. And the man I'm becoming now is better than the first 48 years of my life.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Isn't that amazing? Yeah, I love that.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Tell people where they can get your book. Recalibrate. It's amazing. I was reading it as I was coming out to see you. Finished it in Panama. I mean, it's a book that everyone does need to read. And it's available now on Amazon and anywhere you can get. Get your books.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, my website, matthewboyer.com because I haven't had time to get it in Barnes and Noble and all that stuff. I. I'll work on that while I'm in prison. But it's hard. I'm self published.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Nobody owns my life rights. My documentary that's being filmed now, everything I've done is. I've controlled it and that there's a reason for that. So, yeah, I do see a movie, a feature film coming, and that's the plan. But my book is just a business card.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

That's the way I look at it.

[Rachel Yucatel]

If somebody plays you in a movie, who would you want to play you?

[Matt Boyer]

My wife would choose Channing Tatum.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Oh, yeah, me too. She's not wrong.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

So actually, he's been in conversation with my entertainment attorneys, but I would pick Tom Hardy because I think he represents me very well.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

He does jiu Jitsu.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

Kind of an alpha male guy. At least from what I've seen. I mean, I don't know him personally.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

But I would choose him.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I want to talk about the idea of restitution one more time for people to understand. You paid 1.6 back. What does that mean to the other. What does that mean to your bank account? I mean, you were bringing so much money in.

[Matt Boyer]

It means that it hurts. Yeah, well, it's squealing.

[Rachel Yucatel]

But people were assuming from hearing your story that you were making whatever it was, millions of dollars a week.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Or a million a week.

[Matt Boyer]

Whatever I was making probably a million, million five a month. On my tax return for 2023, I think I filed. I made $14.5 million.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

That being said, I lost $13 million in the casino.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Matt Boyer]

And we all know that all the money you make, I mean, I actually paid millions of dollars in taxes. People think I just didn't pay taxes.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

My tax charge in 2022. What I'm in trouble for is a falsified tax return. It's not tax evasion.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

There's a big.

[Matt Boyer]

A falsified tax return means I put a wrong amount down. And the reason for that is I lost $4 million in the casino that year, but they wouldn't let me. The IRS didn't allow me to offset.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

But I filed as a professional gambler, and I offset it.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Got it.

[Matt Boyer]

So that was an illegal charge. So I want to be clear that it wasn't like I was flipping off the government, saying I'm not paying. I mean, that's why I own properties and we own things.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

But to answer your question. Yeah. A lot of the money that I've made, I've spent. I've lived like a rock star.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Well, that's what I was going to say. And a lot of people don't understand that. They're like, if so much money was coming in, why doesn't he have millions stashed away? But a lot of it was spent on a nice lifestyle, and some, I'm assuming, you have property, you have cars, you have tuitions, you have all these sort of bills.

[Matt Boyer]

Five children.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah, five children.

[Matt Boyer]

And we definitely were living a very exotic life. And, you know, I kind of knew that this day could come.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Boyer]

And I didn't want, to be honest. I didn't want everything just to get cleaned out. And I didn't have any experiences or memories. I mean, the one thing I can do is they can take all my money, but they can't take away my memories. Yeah, that's a fact.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Right, but so what are you guys going to be doing as a side hustle while you're in prison to keep money in your bank account? Or is there, like, enough there that, like, just holds you? I know your wife has a clothing line.

[Matt Boyer]

Yeah, it's amazing. Coco on the go. She's expanding. She's in all the montages. She's in, you know, all the. There's spas all across the world. So her business is doing. Is thriving. It's doing very well. But we also did some investments and I still. I still work. I. Even though I can't work from prison, I run a marketing for car dealerships. So there'll still be money coming in and we'll be fine. You know, I've already covered our mortgage for a year in advance, so I've really tried to make sure that they could be very comfortable.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Boyer]

And remain calm until I get out. But that money's gonna run dry. I'm gonna have to get right to work when I get out.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right.

[Rachel Yucatel]

With those speaking engagements.

[Matt Boyer]

Correct. And all that, which I'm doing next week.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Yeah, I can't wait to hear how that goes. Okay, the last question I have to ask you, obviously, cause of our show, what would you say is the most misunderstood thing about gambling? Being a bookmaker, that kind of situation.

[Matt Boyer]

About being a bookmaker. I think people don't realize it's a business. I ran a. I was a CEO of a very large corporation. It was just illegal. So it's not baseball bats and the dark alleys of beating people up. It's not. It's a business. And the. The misconception is basically, oh, you know, that's taboo and you could get hurt. And it's violence. I mean, that happens, but it happens in any business, really. But in particular, this is really not the gambling world today, is not what it was 20, 30 years ago. But I would say the biggest misconception of me personally is that I am not the guy that the media portrays. I'm not this predator that goes out and gets business just to feed the lifestyle and all that. I mean, yes, I love nice things. I think you do, too. Everybody does when they can have it. But I'm a father first. I'm a husband, and I'M very, when I look in the mirror, I'm very proud of who I am, despite what I'm dealing with. And I'm stronger right now going into prison and at 50 years old than I ever have been in my life.

[Rachel Yucatel]

That's amazing. I wish you the best of luck. I'm gonna keep in touch with you, with your wife and make sure that you are doing well. And I gotta tell you though, I'm not scared for you because I know this is actually probably the best thing that could have happened for you. Cause it's gonna make you stronger and make you be able to have a complete new second act of life where you're doing something different and probably just a second successful.

[Matt Boyer]

So it's absolutely correct. Thank you.

[Rachel Yucatel]

I wish you the best.

[Matt Boyer]

Thank you.

[Rachel Yucatel]

Thank you so much for listening to Misunderstood. I'm your host, Rachel Yukatel. Please be sure to subscribe to the show and give us a five star rating and review. You can support the show by joining our [e-mail] miss us. Understood. With Rachel Yucatel. Do you have ideas for the show or want to reach out? Email us at [e-mail]. that's spelled M I S S. Understood. Thank you so much and I'll see you next.