Rakuten Eagles Hideto Asamura infielder (35), of the "Kickstarter" website, was sent to the Miyagi Prefectural Police on April 4 on suspicion of gambling at an online casino. Two coaches were also referred to the police on the same charge.

The team did not reveal the individual's name, but commented as follows:

"In February of last year, our baseball team called for employees to report online casino use, and after receiving a report from an individual in question, we consulted with the Miyagi Prefectural Police and have been diligently responding to the investigation.

The individual in question deeply regrets having used online casinos out of curiosity without realizing that they were illegal, and has accepted without objection the payment of the penalty agreed upon by the 12 baseball teams. As of last year, the necessary measures regarding this case have been completed.

As a team, we will take appropriate action based on the sincere attitude of the individual involved and the decisions and results of the authorities going forward."

Last year, the NPB called on players and other personnel from each team to self-report their involvement in online casinos, and 16 people from eight teams reported. The 16 individuals were fined a total of 10.2 million yen.

Asamura started in starting line-up game against Lotte (Shizuoka) that day as the fourth batter and first baseman, finishing with one hit RBI At Bat.