OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have revealed that the younger brother of Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish accepted bets involving his team, reports Nikkan Sports (Oct. 29).
Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of Sho Darvish, 26, and two other suspects for accepting illegal wagers on Nippon Professional Baseball games and Major League Baseball games. In new information revealed by investigators, the bets were placed on 28 NPB games and 16 MLB games, including one featuring the Rangers.
Between May 12 and 18, the bookmaking ring accepted 1,850 wagers valued at 10,000 yen each. It utilized the smartphone application Line to take bets from customers.
Over the course of one season, the ring handled 500 million yen in wagers. In return for brokering the transactions, the suspects charged a commission of 10 percent of the total value of each bet.
Police also arrested five male and female customers on gambling charges.
The case follows revelations earlier this month that three pitchers with the Yomiuri Giants placed wagers on games.
Yu Darvish missed the entire 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. He joined the Rangers in 2012.
Police are now investigating whether the gambling ring funded organized crime, according to TBS News (Oct. 29).
