While gambling remains an omnipresent issue in the United States, it's also a big one in other countries. Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball has been hit with an illegal betting scandal involving the country's most popular team.
Two more members of the Yomiuri Giants admitted to betting on professional baseball games, Nippon Professional Baseball announced on Wednesday. Satoshi Fukuda was the first to admit to illegal gambling earlier this month and he was suspended, according to The Associated Press.
After Fukuda's admission, the NPB launched an investigation, which resulted in Shoki Kasahara and Ryuya Matsumoto coming forward as well. The two admitted to gambling on baseball but are said to have not been involved in game-fixing. Fukuda was also free from such accusations because he did not make an appearance for the Giants this season.
Nonetheless, like in the MLB, gambling tarnishes the character of baseball in Japan as the NPB is heavily opposed to such illegal behavior.
According to The Japan Times, players who gamble on baseball games and/or associate with the yakuza are subject to a ban under Article 180 of the Professional Baseball Agreement.
"This is extremely regrettable," NPB commissioner Katsuhiko Kumazaki said, via The Associated Press. "Baseball holds a special place thanks to the support it has had for a long time from many fans."
"Culturally, baseball is the property of the public and we do our best and put all our effort into keeping it wholesome."
As in the United States, betting on sports in Japan is a key source of revenue for organized crime, which is why there are strict mandates against it. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to determine whether or not Pete Rose, who bet on baseball during his time as a player and manager in the 1980s, should be reinstated after he was given a lifetime ban in 1989. At one point, according to the Dowd Report, Rose was in debt over $400,000 to the mob.
It's unknown how the NBP will handle the players responsible in this incident, but the investigation is expected to issue a final report and conclude within a month.
