Major League Baseball (MLB) has banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and has issued suspensions to four other players. This comes after an intense few months for sports betting and US sports, with both the NFL and NBA having dealt with similar issues.
Major Violations
The MLB’s investigation revealed that Tucupita Marcano had placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 during a 13-month period between October 2022 and November 2023 when he was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alarmingly, a number of these bets had been placed on the outcome of his own team’s games.
Marcano did not play last season through injury, and did not play in any of the games involved in his bets. The infielder wagered more than $150,000 on baseball, with over half of that, $87,319, being on the MLB. Marcano becomes the first player in 100 years to receive a lifetime ban, with New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell being the last in 1924.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly is one of the high-profile players to have been suspended. He was found to have placed nine MLB bets and has received a one-year suspension. San Diego Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank are the other three players who have been suspended for 12 months.
An Ongoing Issue
This betting scandal is the latest in a line of scandals that have hit American sports in the last 12 months. The NFL suspended 10 players in 2023 for various betting breaches, while the NHL suspended Shane Pinto in October.
The NBA was rocked in April when it banned Toronto Raptors’ player Jontay Porter for life after it was revealed he had been betting on the NBA, including several games he had been involved in.
The biggest headlines involved former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara had been involved with illegal gambling and was found to have been stealing funds from his client, who signed with the LA Dodgers in a major move earlier this year.
