Major League Baseball

October 1, 2024

Pete Rose bet on his own team. But he also embodied baseball for generations. That’s worth remembering

Baseball legend Pete Rose died on Monday (30 September). But you already know that. And if you're like me and grew up watching Rose play, you're left with a host of complicated feelings.
Since that fateful day 35 years ago, when Pete Rose accepted a spot on baseball’s “permanently ineligible” list, his legacy has been fraught. Unquestionably one of the best ballplayers who ever lived, Rose broke sports’ cardinal rule. He bet on baseball and, not only that, on his own team.

Rose died in his home on Monday of causes yet unknown, a spokesperson for the Clark County office of the coroner/medical examiner in Nevada told CNN. He was 83.

On 23 August 1989, then-Major League Baseball commissioner A Bartlett Giamatti banned Rose from the game. Forever. Rose didn’t think it would stick. But Giamatti died of a heart attack just a week after penalising Rose. Since then, no other MLB commissioner has seriously considered reversing the ban, which means Rose could very well be the best..

July 19, 2024

State of the Union: ESPN Bet layoffs, SEC should be “vigilant” to protect athletes

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Penn lays off some ESPN Bet employees

Less than a year after launching its ESPN Bet platform, and about three years after buying Canadian-based theScore, Penn Entertainment announced layoffs.

Front Office Sports on Wednesday (17 July) tweeted a letter from Penn CEO Jay Snowden to employees. In the letter, Snowden says the company will be “implementing changes” to “streamline the reporting lines”. He also wrote that this process will “result in a limited number of team member separations”.

PENN Entertainment—the gambling company behind ESPN Bet—had a round of layoffs, including multiple employees who focused on ESPN Bet, a source tells @FOS. (Layoffs first reported by @DustinGouker)
Here's an email that was sent to employees this afternoon from the company's CEO: pic.twitter.com/zW7LKOVI9U
— A.J…

June 5, 2024

Major League Baseball bans Padres’ Marcano for life, suspends four others

On Tuesday (4 June) Major League Baseball became the latest US professional sports league to ban players for violating gambling rules in the post-PASPA era. San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life after it was revealed that he had bet on his own team.

Four other players, including Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, were suspended for up to a year, according to MLB.com. Prior to Tuesday, every other major professional sports league had banned at least one player. Marcano becomes the second player in a US pro league to be handed a lifetime ban this year. On 17 April, the NBA banned Jontay Porter for life after it was discovered that he had bet on the NBA and had shared personal health information with another bettor.

Last year, the NFL suspended 10 players for up to a year for various violations of league gambling rules. All have since been reinstated. The NHL suspended Shane Pinto for violating league rules last October. In addition, the PGA Tour last O..

June 4, 2024

Mizuhara pleads guilty to stealing $17m from Ohtani to pay gambling debt

On Tuesday (4 June) morning, former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pled guilty to two federal counts of stealing $17m from Ohtani. Mizuhara fell hard and fast into gambling debt with an illegal bookmaker. His sentencing is set for 25 October.

Mizuhara, wearing a dark suit with an untucked shirt and no tie, told Judge John A Holcomb: “I worked for Victim A and had access to his accounts. I had fallen into major gambling debt. The only way I could think of to pay that was to send money from Victim A’s account” to the illegal bookmaker.

Mizuhara then pled guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a fraudulent tax return. The maximum penalty for the charges is 33 years in prison and a $1.5m fine. Tuesday’s proceedings took place at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Court House in Santa Ana, California. Previous court appearances were at the Roybal federal complex in downtown Los Angeles.

From here, the court and US Probation Office will put toge..

June 4, 2024

MLB investigating Padres player, four minor leaguers for betting on baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) has opened an investigation into five players thought to have bet on baseball while playing in the league, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday (3 June). The players face a lifetime ban if the accusations are true.

MLB – and all of the US professional sports leagues – prohibit players from betting on their own sport. MLB players who bet on their own teams face a lifetime suspension. The penalty for betting on other teams is up to one year.

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was named by the WSJ, which also reported four minor leaguers are under investigation. It’s not clear if the players were betting legally or illegally. Marcano is being investigated for betting on baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was on injured reserve last season.

US professional sports have been under a microscope with regard to gambling of late. Former NBA player Jontay Porter was banned from the league for life on 17 April after violating league gambling ru..

March 20, 2024

Baseball star Ohtani’s lawyers: Interpreter stole for illegal sports betting

The Los Angeles Times claims lawyers for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani are accusing the ballplayer's interpreter of stealing money and placing “bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation”.

The Los Angeles Times broke the story today (20 March) claiming baseball superstar Ohtani’s lawyers are accusing the ballplayer’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of “massive theft” for illegal sports betting.

According to the Times’ report, learning of the theft was incidental after Ohtani’s name turned up during an investigation into Michael Bowyer.

“Millions” of dollars involved in illegal sports betting investigation

Two sources told the newspaper that “millions of dollars” were involved. Federal agents “raided” Bowyer’s Orange County, California. home last year as part of an illegal sports betting investigation, and the Times discovered Ohtani’s name came up in that investigation.

According to an ESPN report, $4.5m was wired out of Ohtani’s acco..

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Tag: Major League Baseball