It was a monumental year in 2024 for the sports betting industry as athletes, league officials and player support staff deal with the repercussions of wagering scandals.
2024 was an unforgettable year as a slew of athletes, team personnel and officials in several professional and amateur sports organizations were impacted by alleged gambling-related infractions amid the popularity of wagering following the overturning of PASPA.
The instances of gambling-related infractions impacted both amateur and high-profile athletes across some of the world’s most popular sports organizations, including MLB.
Easy outs in MLB
This past year saw a series of incidents for Americaâs oldest professional sports league.
National League MVP Shohei Ohtani found himself in the middle of a gambling-related scandal when his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers for siphoning at least $16 million from Ohtaniâs bank account to cover gambling losses. The losses were from an illegal gambling operation led by Matthew Bowyer.
According to court documents, Mizuhara changed the alert and confirmation settings of Ohtaniâs bank account to place roughly 19,000 wagers with an illegal sportsbook.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal bank and tax fraud charges for his role in the scandal.
In June, MLB gave former San Diego Padres utility player Tucupita Marcano a lifetime banishment after an investigation found the 25-year-old placed 231 wagers on MLB events between October 2022 and November 2023 violating league rules. He wagered over $150,000 during that span with $87,318 bet on MLB events.
That same month, MLB umpire Pat Hoberg was disciplined by the league for violating its gambling rules for an unknown infraction. The 38-year-old full-time umpire denies wagering on MLB events as the leagueâs gambling policy applies to umpires and employees.
Gambling-related violations in MLB also trickled down to its minor league system.
In 2024, MLB handed one-year suspensions to four minor league players for wagering on MLB games while with the organizationâs affiliates. The four players were Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Philadelphia Phillies infielder JosĂŠ RodrĂguez and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank.
Former NBA player hit with a lifetime ban
The NBA also handed an athlete a lifetime ban for wagering on league games adding to the flurry of gambling-related issues in 2024.
Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was given a lifetime ban in April for violating the NBAâs gambling rules.
According to court documents, Porter provided insider information to a group of co-conspirators to pay back gambling debts. The co-conspirators, who have also been charged, allegedly encouraged Porter to exit certain NBA games early to pay his debt.
The co-conspirators in the scheme allegedly netted a profit of more than $1.2 million from the illicit wagering that was eventually flagged for suspicious activity by a sportsbook and reported to the NBA and the International Betting Integrity Association. The NBA would open an investigation leading to the lifetime ban of Porter from the league.
Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a New York federal court and faces up to 20 years in prison for his involvement. He will be sentenced in January 2025.
Gambling impacts college sports
According to an Athens Banner-Herald report, an unnamed former football staffer at Georgia was relieved of their duties in July for violating NCAA gambling rules by wagering on pro sports. The staffer was cited for a Level III violation by the NCAA after placing the bets in August 2020 but the wagers were not initially flagged for suspicious activity.
The NCAA also found itself shrouded in controversy in November when federal authorities initiated an investigation into former Temple University menâs basketball player Hysier Miller, according to an ESPN report. Miller is being investigated following irregular activity ahead of a game in March against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Prior to tip-off of the contest, U.S. Integrity received alerts from multiple operators regarding irregular line movement and suspicious betting patterns. As a result of the irregularities, several operators stopped taking action on the game. It is unclear what role Miller may have allegedly played in the irregular line movement and betting patterns as the FBI has yet to confirm or deny the probe. Miller reportedly completed a five-hour interview with the NCAA where he produced requested documents by the organization.
Former NFL quarterback fires back amid violation
In June, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar filed a suit in an Ohio Common Pleas Court against podcast company BIGPLAY and its co-manager following his removal from the Cleveland Brownsâ pregame show after playing a bet at an event two years ago.
Kosar was allegedly relieved of his duties after placing a $19,000 bet with Tipico Sportsbook in 2022 at a charity event violating the NFLâs gambling policy, which prohibits players, coaches and team personnel from placing wagers on any league event.
In the suit, Kosar claims that BIGPLAY and its co-manager wrongfully terminated their agreement and forced him to personally wager money using Tipico.
2024 proved to be a year that solidified the growth of sports betting with more than $3.2 billion in gross gaming revenue generated in Q3 2024 alone, according to data provided by the American Gaming Association. The slew of gambling-related infarctions in 2024 is not only an indication of the growing popularity of regulated sports betting but the ability of sportsbooks and regulators to provide adequate oversight of operations nationwide.
