Two Yomiuri Giants baseball players were referred to prosecutors on May 8 on suspicion of gambling through an online casino, investigative sources said.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department sent papers to prosecutors on Louis Okoye, 27, and Daiki Masuda, 31.

The charges pertain to suspicion of gambling without a criminal record, which is punishable by a fine, since gambling of an addictive or habitual nature hasn’t been determined. 

The baseball team consulted with the MPD, which has conducted voluntary hearings for the two players.

According to the investigative sources, Okoye allegedly bet on blackjack, baccarat and other games through the Wonder Casino online site using a smartphone in July 2022 and May 2023. Masuda also gambled similarly from around October to November 2024.

Okoye bet about 7 million yen ($48,750) and lost 4.5 million yen, while Masuda wagered about 3 million yen and lost 2.3 million yen, according to the sources. 

The Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) and its teams announced in March that eight of the 12 NPB teams would impose fines totaling 10.2 million yen on a total of 16 professional baseball players and related persons who bet through illegal online casinos. The 16 people belonged to the eight teams.

Of the 16, Taisuke Yamaoka, 29, of the Orix Buffaloes was referred to prosecutors by Osaka prefectural police in April. Prosecutors declined to indict Yamaoka. 

In April, six comedians from the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency were also referred to prosecutors for allegedly gambling through online casinos.

According to a survey conducted by the National Police Agency, about 3.37 million people are estimated to have used online casinos within Japan, which is prohibited by law. The total betting amount is estimated at 1.24 trillion yen annually.