On April 4, the Miyagi Prefectural Police sent Rakuten Eagles 's Hideto Asamura infielder and two coaches to court on gambling charges for gambling at an online casino.

The team announced that the Miyagi Prefectural Police had sent documents to the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding a member of the team. "In February of last year, our team called for employees to self-report their use of online casinos, and the individual in question came forward. We consulted with the Miyagi Prefectural Police and have been sincerely responding to the investigation. The individual in question deeply regrets using online casinos out of curiosity without realizing their illegality, and has accepted the penalty agreed upon by the 12 teams without objection. We have completed the necessary steps in this case as of last year. As a team, we will take appropriate action based on the individual's sincere attitude and the judgment and results of the authorities," the team said in a statement.

Asamura started as the fourth batter and first baseman in the game against Lotte (Shizuoka) on the 4th. He recorded one RBI and one hit in three At Bat-bats, including a timely doble over the right field fence with no outs and a runner on second base in the sixth inning, before leaving the game midway through the sixth inning.

Even if an online casino is legally operated overseas, it is a crime to connect to it from within Japan and gamble. In February of last year, NPB called on players and team members across all 12 teams who had used online casinos to voluntarily report their involvement to their teams, and 16 people from eight teams voluntarily reported.