sports betting

Shohei Ohtani Embroiled In Gambling Scandal After Interpreter Fired

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Last night, the Dodgers fired the longtime interpreter of Shohei Ohtani after an ESPN investigation revealed that the man had allegedly stolen millions from the MLB star to cover gambling debts. Originally, a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that Ohtani had willingly given Ippei Mizuhara $4.5M to cover the debts. However, after Mizuhara spoke with ESPN himself, Ohtani’s camp issued a statement alleging “massive theft”, although they did not explicitly name Mizuhara. This all came to light due to a federal investigation into an illegal California betting operation. Matthew Bowyer reportedly received a million dollars from Ohtani’s bank account. However, sources close to the betting operation told ESPN that Bowyer only ever interacted with Mizuhara.

Of course, this has led to a wave of conspiracy theories. Some believe that Mizuhara was Ohtani’s intermediary, placing bets on the Dodgers star’s behalf. All bets that Mizuhara made were on sports other than baseball. However, at this time, Ohtani will not face discipline and is not under investigation himself over Mizuhara’s actions. Mizuhara told ESPN that he had asked Ohtani to pay off his debts last year and that he did not know that Bowyer’s outfit was illegal. This remains a developing story.

Read More: Shohei Ohtani Signs $700M Deal With Dodgers, Largest Contract In Baseball History

Shohei Ohtani Reveals Identity Of His Wife

Elsewhere, Ohtani recently revealed that his wife is former pro basketball player Mamiko Tanaka. Ohtani arrived at the Dodgers’ spring training with the news that he had “recently married someone” in his home country of Japan. However, he did not reveal the identity of his wife until now. Ohtani posted a photo of the pair as they boarded a plane to South Korea for the Dodgers’ season opener.

Tanaka played for Waseeda University and later for the Fujitsu Red Wave in Japan’s pro league. However, she stepped away from professional basketball last year, leading many fans to speculate that she had gotten married or was otherwise focusing on her personal life.

Read More: Baby Mama Of Tim Anderson Celebrates MLB Veteran’s New Contract, Fans Are Split On How To Feel

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Drake Loses Massive Bet As Francis Ngannou Suffers Brutal KO

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The sports betting bad luck of Drake has struck again. The rapper lost $615K after former MMA star Francis Ngannou suffered a brutal second-round knockout at the hands of former boxing world champion Anthony Joshua. Unlike his previous fight against Tyson Fury, Ngannou was never able to hang with Joshua. He was floored twice before Joshua was able to hit a clean uppercut that rendered Ngannou unconscious. The fighter had been administered oxygen after being roused.

“On the route to the championship, you should always stay focused. This was me stepping aside from that mission. But when I saw [Ngannou] and the fight against Tyson Fury, I was like, ‘Damn, this guy can fight,’ so I said I need a piece of that. He’s an inspiration. He’s a great champion. This doesn’t take away anything of his capabilities because in boxing it’s one or the other. He can come again,” Joshua said after the fight.

Read More: Drake Fans Debate If He Should Re-Release Old Albums After Taylor Swift Breaks His Spotify Record

Drake Can’t Find A Clean Bet

As mentioned, Drake’s luck has been inconsistent at best when it comes to sports betting. He lost $700K as Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297. The South African claimed the middleweight title after a bloody back-and-forth that could have easily gone the way of the defending champion. Furthermore, the bout was the fourth middleweight title fight to see the belt change hands. Drake would have won $1.4M if Strickland had been able to defend his title.

In fact, Drake went 0-2 on Strickland. In September 2023, he put down $500K on Israel Adensanya to beat Strickland, only for the American to stun Adensanya at UFC 293. Drizzy would have walked away with a cool $920K if he had won. However, Strickland pulled off what many are calling the greatest upset in UFC middleweight history. Despite this, Drake has found some recent success. He won over $2M for his Super Bowl bet last month.

Read More: Who Does Lionel Messi Listen To On Game Days? Drake & Bad Bunny Headline Soccer Star’s “Warm Up” Playlist

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Drake Backs Francis Ngannou With Massive Bet

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Drake is back on his sports betting grind. The rapper has put up $615,000 to favor Francis Ngannou over Anthony Joshua. If the bet pays off, Drake will walk away with nearly $2M. Ngannou is an MMA legend who recently transitioned to boxing through his new contract with the PFL. Meanwhile, Joshua is a former unified heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist. Ngannou enters the fight as a fairly hefty underdog, at least for oddsmakers.

However, sports betting has not always gone well for Drizzy. In January, Drake lost $700K as Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 297. The South African claimed the middleweight title after a bloody back-and-forth that could have easily gone the way of the defending champion. Furthermore, the bout was the fourth middleweight title fight to see the belt change hands. Drake would have won $1.4M if Strickland had been able to defend his title.

Read More: Drake Fans Debate If He Should Re-Release Old Albums After Taylor Swift Breaks His Spotify Record

Drake Jokingly Asks Canadian Government To Annex Buffalo

Elsewhere, Drake recently requested that the Canadian government annex the City of Buffalo to allow his friends living under travel restrictions to see him perform. “@canada can we make Buffalo a province for a day so my friends that can’t travel can come see me perform…just this one time,” Drake wrote on Instagram. The It’s All A Blur – Big As The What? Tour arrived in Buffalo last week. The tour, featuring Lil Durk and J. Cole, is an extension of the tour Drake did last year with 21 Savage.

Buffalo has long been used as “not Canada” by various entities. When COVID travel restrictions made it difficult for MLB teams to visit Toronto, the Blue Jays briefly relocated to their minor league affiliate in Buffalo for several games. Buffalo is a common tour stop for musicians due to its size and promixity to Canada. The city is around 28 miles from the Canadian border. However, the Canadian government has yet to respond to Drake’s request.

Read More: Pam Grier Wants To Make Drake “Blush”

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Drake Releases Infamous “Anita Max Wynn” Hat And Instantly Runs Out Of Stock

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Drake is someone who has his hands in a little bit of everything these days. Overall, he made his name off of his music. Sure, he was an actor before that, however, it was his music that made him an international superstar. Even today, Drizzy continues to drop music that tops the charts. His latest project, For All The Dogs, is already platinum and it has some big hits on it. Furthermore, he is even on pace to go on tour with J. Cole this year, which is going to prove to be a massive moment.

Over the past few years, Drake has been getting himself into the world of sports gambling. He has a massive deal with Stake, with whom he places all of his bets. Stake is a brand that has a lot of money right now, and they are marketing whizzes. They have deals with numerous famous streamers, and they even started the streaming platform Kick. Overall, Drake is their biggest influencer, and he has certainly brought in a lot of business. Now, Drizzy and Stake are getting into the hat business together.

Read More: Drake’s “For All The Dogs”: 5 Highlights

Drake x Stake

On Monday, the two released four different colorways of Drake’s now-infamous Anita Max Wynn hat. Of course, this is Drizzy’s gambling alter ego. It is meant to mean “I need a max win,” which is clearly a gambling term. When Drake first revealed this alter ego, fans accused him of being zesty. However, it is clear that the artist does not care what people think. Instead, he is going all in with it. After all, it is making him and Stake some money. Not to mention, the hats immediately sold out, which means you will have to wait your turn if you want one.

Let us know what you think of the hats, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world. We will always be sure to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: What Is Drake’s Best-Selling Album?

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Kevin Durant Takes Aim At Sports Bettors After Messing Up Their Parlays

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Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the entire NBA. Overall, he is someone who does not shy away from giving his opinion on a whole host of topics related to the game. However, not everyone has appreciated that. Some say he is chronically online. Others want him to focus more on basketball. Regardless, KD is very passionate about what he does, and that will never change. In fact, at this point, he will likely go down as one of the top 15 players to ever step on the court.

Unfortunately, this season especially, KD has had to deal with the increased presence of sports betting. There are millions of fans making parlays related to each NBA game. When these parlays don’t hit, the athletes become the scapegoats. The issue here is that it is not the athletes’ job to make other people money. Furthermore, some people are spending more money than they actually have. Recently, KD took aim at these bettors, and let them know he is not their employee.

Read More: Kevin Durant Poses For Drake’s New Nike NOCTA Collection

Kevin Durant Speaks

“When I get ya paid, u don’t DM me and send a small percentage to my cashapp but when them parlays don’t hit, I’m every name in the book. Yall ain’t real,” Durant said. The NBA superstar makes a good point here. It is also wild to see fans become this bold. However, they are doing this out of desperation. They feel entitled to some cash, even when the losses are entirely their own fault. It is a sad reality but that is the one we live in now.

Be sure to let us know what you think of this philosophy from KD, in the comments section below. Is he right or should the sports bettors get a bit more grace? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the sports world. We will be sure to keep you informed on all of your favorite athletes.

Read More: Drake Shares Heartfelt Message Following The Death Of 40’s Father, Donald Shebib

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Chiefs Picked As Super Bowl Favorites, Patrick Mahomes MVP Favorite

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Chiefs running it back? That’s what the oddsmakers see as happening his season. With the NFL season just hours away, we have gotten our first look at where Vegas stands on the upcoming campaign. Per, Caesar’s, the Kansas City Chiefs are 6-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl. If the Chiefs pulled it off, they would be the first back-to-back champions since the Patriots in 2004 and 2005. The Eagles have the second-best odds. However, FanDuel reports that more bets have been placed on the Eagles than any other team. The Aaron Rodgers-led Jets are at 16-1.

Meanwhile, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes also has 6-1 odds of defending his MVP title from the 2022 season. The last person to win back-to-back MVPs was Aaron Rodgers in 2020 and 2021. However, there has never been an instance of two players each posting a back-to-back MVP title in a four-year stretch. Joe Burrow is second in MVP odds at 7-1.

Read More: Chandler Jones claims the Raiders sent a crisis team to his house amid feud with the team

New NFL Season Spurs Some Wild Bets

Furthermore, news is starting to break about some of the more unusual bets that have already been placed. The largest verifiable bet is $20,000 on the 40-1 Raiders to win the Super Bowl. That would give the anonymous Nevada bettor $800,000. Meanwhile, DraftKings has reportedly received an $89 bet for a Texans-Cardinals Super Bowl at 10,0000-1 odds. The Texans and Cardinals each have 200-1 odds to reach the Super Bowl this year. However, there are also reports of a $25,0000 bet on the 25-1 Chargers. While it’s more money, it only (“only”) pays out $625,000.

The Chiefs open the season as -4.5 favorites over the Lions. Those odds dropped from -6.5 earlier in the week. With Travis Kelce officially questionable on the injury report and Chris Jones still holding out, the Chiefs are in for a tougher time against a resurgent Lions team. If you do choose to bet on this year’s NFL season, remember to do so responsibly and do so through a licensed and reputable vendor.

Read More: Matthew Stafford refutes wife’s claims that he’s struggling to “gel” with his younger teammates

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ESPN Roasted For $2 Billion Betting Partnership

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ESPN has announced that it has partnered with gambling company PENN Entertainment in a $2 billion, 10-year deal to fully break into the sports betting market. PENN will rebrand its Barstool Sportsbook, selling Barstool Sports back to Dave Portnoy in the process, as ESPN Bet. ESPN will receive a base payment of $1.5 billion over the next decade, as well as an additional $500 million for the use of ESPN‘s licenses and services.

The move comes at a turbulent time for the Disney-owned broadcaster. In June, ESPN announced a round of layoffs that primarily affected high-earning on-air talent. Meanwhile, the company also announced the acquisition of Pat McAfee and his brand after McAfee negotiated a buyout with FanDuel. Furthermore, ESPN is reportedly in the running to acquire Shannon Sharpe after his exit from Undisputed and FS1. Now, it appears that they have set their sights on being a major player in the ever-growing sports betting market.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith responds to ESPN layoffs

Reception Cool On PENN Partnership

However, the news has met with overwhelming skepticism and concern. Many have questioned why ESPN has chosen now of all times to push hard into sports betting. Furthermore, many have expressed skepticism that ESPN, with even the backing of a major player like PENN, will be able to hang with the likes of FanDuel and Draft Kings. “I don’t know a single sports fan requesting ESPN Bet. If Barstool (or Fox) couldn’t convert users to sportsbook, why would ESPN? Not to mention the late start and an undifferentiated product. Tough road for Penn IMO,” one X user wrote while highlight part of the announcement that said the move was something fans had been looking for from ESPN.

Furthermore, there are a number of major concerns about how this move will affect ESPN‘s status as a news outlet. Many pointed to the controversy surrounding the NBA Draft as proof of these concerns. Well-regarded NBA journalist Shams Charania, who has a partnership with FanDuel, reported that sources were saying the Hornets were planning to take Scoot Henderson over Brandon Miller. This benefitted FanDuel, who saw a wave of bets on Henderson going second overall. The Hornets took Miller, as most other pundits expected. In short, a major news outlet/broadcaster also being a major sportsbook leads to a massive conflict of interest.

Reactions To ESPN Bet News

What do you think about the announcement? Let us know in the comments.

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LSU Announce New Policy To Combat Sports Betting

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Sports betting is a major issue in 2023. As more states legalize the practice, the adverse effects are becoming more and more clear. Earlier this week, seven current and former players at Iowa and Iowa State were criminally charged in relation to sports betting violations. This includes Hunter Drekkers, Iowa State’s projected QB1 for the 2023 season. The Iowa Racing and Gambling Commission has stated that they do not believe any match-fixing occurred. However, the scope of the investigation is huge. The seven athletes are believed to have placed more than 5000 wagers totaling more than $100,000 between January 2021 and May 2023.

The effects of this massive scandal are being felt 800 miles in Louisiana. While no players from LSU have been implicated in the scandal, football coach Brian Kelly is worried about the impact of sports betting. “I’m not saying that happened. I’m not saying that would happen,” Kelly said. “I think it’s better to be proactive in those situations and take away even the temptation to even have that in this building and not be that next school that goes down that path.” Kelly’s announcement concerned a hypothetical situation where sports bettors harassed team staff for inside information. Furthermore, Kelly is implementing a new protocol to keep his team safe.

LSU Amends Injury Protocol

Brian Kelly of LSU
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JULY 17: Head Coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers speaks during Day 1 of 2023 SEC Media Days at Grand Hyatt Nashville on July 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

To minimize the information available to sports bettors, LSU is introducing a new injury reporting protocol in 2023. Team injuries will be reported twice a week in a system that is more similar to that of the NFL. “I thought it was important given the nature of what’s going on today out there relative to reporting and gaming,” Kelly said. “We wanted to make sure that we were transparent with injuries. Not putting any pressure on anybody here to guess who’s in, who’s out” for a given game. When we get to Saturday, if somebody is doubtful, we’ll give you ‘available,’ or ‘unavailable,’” Kelly said.

This new policy also comes alongside new team rules. LSU will mandate that no staff or players have gambling apps installed on their phones. “There shouldn’t be any of those (apps) on any of our players’ phones or anyone in this building,” Kelly said. Furthermore, Kelly dismissed the idea that he was sacrificing a tactical advantage by being more open about his team’s injuries. “I can’t tell you how many times we didn’t know a particular quarterback was playing. You’ve got to adjust on the fly,” Kelly said. “I don’t want it to be a situation where it causes something to the point where somebody loses their job or somebody loses eligibility,” Kelly added. “I mean, that’s a bigger issue than, well, we got a tactical advantage today because we found out he was playing.”

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Drake Drops Insane Cash On NBA Finals Bet

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Drake has a massive contract with the crypto gambling site Stake. Overall, this is a company that has sponsored a lot of people, including creators who stream. They seem to have a whole lot of money, and they are not afraid to spend it. Although they may get criticism for being a gambling site, they are still going strong. Much of this has to do with Drizzy’s constant social media posts in which he shows off his massive sports bets. Although Drake has lost his fair share of bets, he has also won quite a few.

In the Instagram post down below, you can see that he bet on the NBA Finals. Here, we have two bets. Firstly, he opted to bet $250K on the Denver Nuggets beating the Miami Heat in five games. This would win him $850,000. Secondly, he bet $1 million on the Nuggets to win the series outright. This would only gain him $1.23 million as the odds are in the Nuggets’ favor. Overall, this is a series that the Denver Nuggets should win, especially with how they won Game 1.

Read More: NBA Finals: Nuggets Vs. Heat Schedule, TV Channel, Start Times

Drake Predicts The NBA Finals

If you watched last night, you would have seen a Nuggets team that truly dominated from start to finish. While the Heat came on strong in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late. The Nuggets are just a powerhouse of a team, and consequently, very few people have the Heat coming back. The Nuggets are undefeated at home in these playoffs, and that likely will not change. It’s sad, but ultimately true.

In our prediction, which you can read below, we said that the Nuggets would win this series in 5. Drake must be a HotNewHipHop reader. All jokes aside, this series is not going to be close, although we wish it was. Let us know what you thought of Game 1, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from the sports world.

Read More: NBA Finals 2023: Nuggets Vs. Heat Prediction

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Five NFL Players Suspended For Betting Offenses

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The NFL has always had a somewhat awkward relationship with sports betting. As more and more states have legalized the practice, the NFL has cautiously opened itself up to the lucrative industry. In 2021, the league announced agreements with four sportsbook operators. However, the NFL has been careful not to officially endorse any one operator through an official partnership. Sports betting revenue hit $7.5 billion in 2022.

However, an area where the NFL has held firm is betting on the part of its players. Like most professional sports leagues in the US, the NFL forbids players from betting in any capacity. The most notable casualty of this is Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for the 2022 season for betting on games during the 2021 season. That suspension led to Ridley’s release from the Falcons, as well as criticisms that the NFL was harsher on gambling than issues such as sexual assault.

Four Lions, One Commander Handed Suspensions

On April 21, the NFL officially suspended five players for betting-related offenses. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore, both of the Lions, and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Commanders received indefinite suspensions for betting on NFL games. Wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill, also both of the Lions, were suspended for six games each for placing bets not related to the NFL. The Lions have since reported that Cephus and Moore have been released from the team. Toney remains on the Commanders at the time of writing.

Williams is the biggest name of the five who were suspended. The twelfth overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Williams spent most of the season rehabbing from an ACL tear sustained in the 2022 College National Championship game. However, he was expected to be a major part of the Lions’ offense this season. Of the other Lions suspended, Cephus was a 2020 fifth-rounder who has played in 22 games over the last three seasons. Moore went undrafted in 2019 but has made 48 tackles in 56 games for the Lions. Berryhill went undrafted in 2022 and made four appearances for the team last year. Shaka Toney was a 2021 seventh-rounder who appeared in 26 games for the Commanders.

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