The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Episode: Bookie from the Ohtani Baseball Scandal

Date: October 29, 2025
Guest: Matt (Bookmaker at the center of the Shohei Ohtani interpreter gambling scandal)

Overview

In this gripping episode, Mariana van Zeller sits down with Matt, the notorious bookmaker whose illegal gambling operation became central to the Shohei Ohtani baseball betting scandal. With just days before starting his prison sentence, Matt reflects candidly on his life of hustle—from entrepreneurial childhood schemes to running a billion-dollar bookie empire, his descent into gambling addiction, and his pivotal involvement with Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Together, they pull back the curtain on the mechanics and culture of illegal sports betting, the reality of addiction, and the complicated intersections of crime, accountability, and personal legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Matt’s Background: The Making of a Bookie

• Childhood in Cypress, California ([06:38])
  • Happy early years, entrepreneurial from youth; sold newspapers, ran poker games, hustled various schemes.
  • Family’s descent into dysfunction after father’s alcoholism and parents’ divorce.
  • Early experience managing adversity and “hustling to survive.”
• Early Hustles ([09:51])
  • Sold newspapers door-to-door using sales tactics.
  • Ran poker and sports betting rings as a teenager, earning $30,000–$40,000 annually by age 16.
  • “You wouldn’t outwork me… If I got you to open the door, I would make you feel bad at worst case if you weren’t buying the paper from me.” – Matt [10:08]
• Escalating Illegal Activities ([14:30])
  • Sold marijuana, used credit card scams at gas stations, hustled cigarettes.
  • Mother was mostly unaware or helpless against the tide of his activities.

2. Building a (Legal and Illegal) Business Empire

• Commodities Broker Career ([24:39], [28:36])
  • Landed high-pressure job as a commodities trader at age 18; quickly rose to number one nationally.
  • “At 21, I made $700,000 a year. I actually purchased the home that my parents lost and moved into it.” – Matt [30:32]
  • Internal conflict: legitimate brokers still sold risky products, which Matt later described as immoral.
• The Pivot to Full-Time Bookmaking ([33:12], [38:37])
  • Took sports bets from office colleagues, eventually made more as a bookmaker than as a broker.
  • By age 30, left brokering to run a full-time, large-scale, illegal sports betting ring.
  • Set up his own site (BreaktheBookie.net) in Costa Rica as the internet transformed the industry.

3. Bookie Operations: Scale, Structure, and Ethics

• Operational Mechanics ([41:28], [60:16])
  • Ran multiple gambling platforms, offered live dealer games, and built unique customer experiences.
  • Managed $1 billion+ in wagers in 2023 with about 1,200 clients, many celebrities and high-rollers.
  • "My operation took over a billion dollars in wagers." – Matt [03:50]
• Agents and Money Laundering ([46:40], [63:28])
  • Over 48 agents, ~200 subagents nationwide; distributed and collected money via Venmo, crypto, cash, and complex laundering tactics.
  • Had “beards” (trusted money holders), runners, and even stashed millions in physical locations (e.g., tires in a warehouse).
• Dealing with Non-Payers and Violence ([48:00], [49:55])
  • Early days: Matt acted as his own “enforcer” with a Samoan friend in tow, but claimed never to resort to actual violence.
  • Walked away from $44 million in unpaid debts when arrested to avoid further criminal charges.

4. The Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Scandal

• The Meeting and Account Escalation ([66:25], [67:30])
  • Met Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's interpreter, at an Angels/Padres poker game through athlete connections.
  • Ippei’s betting limits rapidly grew from $8,000 to $3 million in credit due to prompt payments (wires).
• The Shocking Wire ([00:43], [69:51])
  • “[My friend] says, from Shohei Ohtani. I said, holy shit. I mean, that was a wow moment for me.” – Matt [00:56], [70:09]
  • Matt assumed Ohtani himself was gambling when a $500,000 wire arrived directly in Shohei’s name.
• Who Was Really Gambling? ([78:36])
  • Matt concludes: “You think it was Ippei who had the gambling problem?”
    "I definitely think that. I do. I don't think Shohei ever gambled." – Matt [78:36]
  • No evidence Ohtani placed bets himself; believed Ohtani might have been unwittingly (or semi-wittingly) used for funds.
• Blowing the Whistle and Cooperation ([74:03], [107:48])
  • After ESPN confronted Matt, he voluntarily alerted federal authorities to the wire transfers from Ohtani’s account.
  • Received “cooperation credit” and a reduced sentence for coming forward.

5. Addiction and the Toll of the Hustle

• Personal Addiction ([04:02], [59:41])
  • Matt admits to a lifelong gambling addiction, hiding its impact behind wealth and “success”.
  • “I always defended it and made excuses… I was blowing millions of dollars and spending millions of dollars gambling…” – Matt [04:02]
• Loss and Consequence ([89:36], [110:21])
  • Lost $13 million in a single year at a casino; described epic highs and devastating lows.
  • “[Gambling] is a hidden addiction… It's actually worse. It's even higher, I think, when you lose.” – Matt [84:53]
• Victims of the Business ([110:21])
  • Admits clientele sometimes lost more than they could afford, but rationalizes clients would have gambled elsewhere.
  • “Do I feel like I manipulated and took advantage of people? Of course I did… I made money off of people losing gambling. No different than a casino.” – Matt [110:30]

6. Raid, Arrest, and Legal Fallout

• The Raid ([101:11])
  • FBI raid was a surprise, triggered by a casino (Resorts World) money laundering investigation—not the Ohtani scandal.
  • "I was putting my son in my wife's car and I heard FBI, freeze. I had no clue. Zero." – Matt [101:11]
• Cooperation and Sentencing ([105:19], [111:34])
  • Pleaded guilty, paid $1.7 million in restitution, received a year-and-a-day prison sentence (eligible for early release).

7. Reflections, Regrets, and Reinvention

• Dark Side and Morality ([34:13], [36:25])
  • Wrestling with the morality of both legal and illegal occupations: “One was illegal. That's why it didn't feel good. And the other one was legal but didn't feel good.”
• Accountability and Redemption ([111:34], [113:00])
  • Now focused on public speaking, gambling education, and using his story as a cautionary tale.
  • “Sometimes it's not the mistake you make, it's what you do after that matters the most.” – Matt [115:12]
• Family and Impact ([02:39], [114:36])
  • Expresses deepest fears over impact on wife and children, hopes own accountability will set an example.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On making impossible sums at a young age:
  "I was making probably more money than [my mother] was at…Like 30, 40,000 a year at 16." – Matt [13:07]
• On the rush of bookmaking scale:
  “My operation took over a billion dollars in wagers.” – Matt [03:50]
• On seeing the Shohei Ohtani wire:
  “He says, from Shohei Ohtani. I said, holy shit. I mean, that was a wow moment for me.” – Matt [00:56], [70:09]
• On denying being a violent enforcer:
  “I would portray that this could get ugly… But I never actually hurt people or put my hands on people.” – Matt [49:05]
• On gambling addiction's insidiousness:
  “It’s a hidden addiction… You can go home, you could have lost your house, lost everything you own, but still look kind of normal.” – Mariana [83:22]
• On lost money and emotional devastation:
  “There’s been some dark ones where I’m in a sauna, and I’ve just lost $4 million, and my wife is consoling me, and… I want to cry like a little girl.” – Matt [89:40]
• On accountability for his crimes:
  “I'm not going to give up all my people. It's just—I'm not doing it. It's my operation. If anyone should get in trouble, it's me.” – Matt [106:54]
• On his goals now:
  “The main message for me is called recalibrate. I wrote this book. It tells the dark moments of my life. You know, most people glorify their life… I’m not fake. I’m not perfect.” – Matt [112:11]
• On prison as a reset:
  “When I walk into prison, it's to me it's a vacation. It's a vacation to reset… I have to go learn from my adversity.” – Matt [113:49]

Important Timestamps

• [00:43] – Shohei Ohtani wire arrives; realization and shock.
• [03:50] – Reveals size of his bookmaking operation: $1 billion/year.
• [04:02] – Matt confronts his gambling addiction.
• [13:07] – Teenage earnings and early hustles.
• [30:32] – Returns to buy childhood home; peak legal success.
• [38:37] – Transition to full-time bookmaking & setup in Costa Rica.
• [48:00] – Early enforcement tactics, nonviolent intimidation.
• [70:09] – Shohei Ohtani wire transfer “wow moment.”
• [78:36] – Matt’s theory on who was actually gambling (Ippei, not Shohei).
• [83:22], [84:53] – Discussion of gambling as a hidden, deadly addiction.
• [89:40] – Emotional toll of epic wins and losses, impact on family.
• [101:11] – FBI raid and sudden legal downfall.
• [110:21] – Matt on his own responsibility, harm caused, and fate of gamblers.
• [113:00] – New purpose: public speaking, recalibration, gambling education.

Tone & Atmosphere

Candid, unflinching, and self-aware. Matt is direct about his faults, charismatic in storytelling, and sometimes brash or boastful, but ultimately reflective and open about pain, regret, and the lure of risk. Mariana provides empathy, challenge, and sharp journalistic guidance to pierce self-justification and push toward honesty about harm, addiction, and the real meaning of accountability.

Conclusion

This episode moves beyond scandal headlines, offering a nuanced, inside look at the growth, complexity, and consequences of underground gambling in America—while never letting go of the human stakes. Matt’s story is both cautionary and revealing, blending the thrill of the hustle with stark lessons about addiction, moral ambiguity, and the search for redemption. An essential listen for anyone interested in the mechanics of black markets, the psychology of risk, and the cost of living in the shadows.