(Reuters) - Former Yomiuri Giants pitcher Shoki Kasahara has admitted to his involvement in illegal gambling at a hearing held at the Tokyo District Court on Monday, Kyodo news agency reported.

The 25-year-old was suspended by Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the country’s professional baseball governing body, in November for illegally betting on games, which included Major League Baseball and Japanese high school games.

Kasahara is said to have aided a former restaurant operator’s betting scheme by collecting money from two other former Giants players, and gambled a total of 1.2 million yen ($11,838.99) himself between September 2014 and August 2015, the report said.

The NPB which prohibits professional players from betting on games, handed a one-year ban on another Giants pitcher Kyosuke Takagi for illegal betting in March.

($1 = 101.3600 yen)