Lionsgate secures deal to screen Shohei Ohtani betting scandal story

Lionsgate TV has secured a deal for its portrayal of the Shohei Ohtani sports betting scandal that caused ripples in the world of MLB last year. 

The headline story is something of a misnomer, as it should actually be referred to as the Ippei Mizuhara scandal. He is the former trusted friend and interpreter of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar who betrayed the MLB MVP to fund his excessive gambling indiscretions. 

Now, the story is coming to our TV screens, with an unnamed platform to host the major production. 

As revealed by The Ankler, an agreement is in place with confirmation to follow.

“It has sold. Can’t say to whom because we’re still negotiating the deal. But the momentum around it just grew and the auspices are fantastic,” said Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate TV Group’s chair and chief creative. 

He continued, “It’s bananas how big it is. When we can announce, we will, and we can’t wait to get started on writing it and really diving in — we had a ton of research done; all of it is wild.” 

“Most people don’t even know the full story. And there’s probably different opinions about the truth, which is never a bad thing for this kind of show.”

This sounds like a bumper binge-worthy series in the making from Lionsgate.

Shotime. pic.twitter.com/uGNMNyiLWM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 25, 2025

It must be stressed that Shohei Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing or involvement in the saga. There is no evidence he ever placed a single bet on a baseball game. 

The same cannot be said for Mizuhara. 

He was found to have placed around 19,000 bets over three years, from 2021 through to 2024, draining around $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts. 

The disgraced insider abused his position and the trust of his former employer by impersonating him on calls with the bank to fund his gambling spree. 

Much of the illicit gambling was linked to Matthew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker who was implicated during a separate scandal involving Resorts World Las Vegas.

Mizuhara has been ordered to report to federal prison by May 12, according to recently unsealed court documents, with a 57-month sentence looming. 

Thankfully, Ohtani seems to have emerged relatively unscathed, with his MLB career continuing on the field.

The Japanese superstar took a big step toward returning to pitching when he faced hitters for the first time in almost two years, following surgery in September 2023.

He delighted the crowd at the Citi Field ahead of the LA Dodgers’ game against the New York Mets on Sunday.

Image credit: Masaya Kotani/X

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