(Rightallegiance.com) – In a significant move to maintain the integrity of professional baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced on Tuesday that San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been handed a lifetime ban for placing bets exceeding $150,000 on various MLB games. The decision underscores MLB’s unwavering stance against gambling within the sport.
The league also revealed that four other players received one-year suspensions for unrelated sports betting violations. “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’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,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated.
For over a century, MLB has upheld a firm prohibition on betting within the sport, considering it a foundational principle. Commissioner Manfred emphasized, “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.”
Marcano, 24, allegedly placed bets on MLB games while he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, despite being on the injured list. According to The Associated Press, Marcano made 387 baseball bets, including 231 related to MLB, from October 16, 2022, to November 1, 2023. These bets totaled more than $150,000.
Among these bets, over 20 were on Pirates games during his tenure on the team’s roster, although he did not play in the games he bet on. Shockingly, Marcano won only 4.3% of his MLB-related wagers.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize sports betting, MLB has collaborated with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to enhance its integrity measures. Manfred noted, “We have worked with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to put ourselves in a better position from an integrity perspective through the transparency that a regulated sports betting system can provide.”
MLB is committed to continuing its substantial investment in integrity monitoring, educational programming, and awareness initiatives to ensure strict adherence to its gambling policies. In addition to Marcano’s ban, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly received a one-year suspension for betting on baseball while he was in the minor leagues.
Similarly, minor leaguers Jay Groome of San Diego, José Rodríguez of Philadelphia, and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona also faced one-year suspensions for betting on major league games.