MLB is continuing to be embroiled in controversy regarding its gambling rules.
San Diego Padres utility player Tucupita Marcano has received a lifetime ban by MLB for violating the league’s betting rules and policies. Marcano, who also had a stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates, placed 231 wagers on MLB markets through a licensed operator.
“The strict enforcement of MLB’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement following Marcano’s ban. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on MLB games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century.”
The 24-year-old also wagered on international baseball games, violating MLB policy. The league bans betting on any type of baseball, including youth and college games.
Its rules also apply to MLB umpires, officials, and employees of the league and its clubs.
Details of prohibited sports betting
Between October 2022 and November 2023, Marcano wagered more than $150,000 on baseball with $87,318 bet on MLB-related markets. Marcano, who spent an average of $378 per bet, placed 25 wagers on the Pirates while with the club’s major league team. The Venezuela native only won 4.3% of his MLB-related bets with no winning parlays.
MLB also handed one-year suspensions to four minor players, who include Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Philadelphia Phillies infielder José Rodríguez, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank.
The players were found to have placed wagers on MLB teams while with their organization’s minor league affiliates.
“We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people,” added Manfred.
Groome suffered the worst net loss wagering $453 on MLB markets for a $433 loss.
Adds to gambling woes for MLB
The lifetime ban of Marcano and the suspension of four other players adds to gambling-related issues for MLB.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani, is reportedly expected to plead guilty in court on Tuesday to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return after allegedly participating in an illegal gambling operation leading him to steal more than $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account.
According to a criminal complaint, Mizuhara allegedly modified the alert and confirmation settings of Ohtani’s bank account to place around 19,000 illicit wagers with a bookie.
Mizuhara accumulated $40 million in losses in nearly three years with the illegal gambling operation. He also owes over $1 million in taxes for 2022, per the Justice Department.
