According to MLB’s inquiry, Tucupita Marcano bet over $150,000 on baseball games|Jeffrey Hyde|CC BY-SA 2.0
The Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and suspended four other players on Tuesday due to their involvement in baseball betting. Marcano’s permaban is the first since Pete Rose in 1989.
The move comes at a time when the league runs sports betting ads during match broadcasts.
According to MLB’s inquiry, Marcano bet over $150,000 on baseball games, including 25 bets on Pirates games he was on the team but didn’t play due to injury. There is no suspicion that his wagers influenced the games’ outcomes.
The four players suspended for a year are Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, Philadelphia Phillies minor league infielder Jose Rodriguez, Padres minor league pitcher Jay Groome, and Arizona Diamondbacks minor league pitcher Andrew Saalfrank.
MLB rules don’t allow people associated with the league to bet on baseball.
The controversy is the latest in sports betting.
Just in March, MLB star player Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused of sports gambling and stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to repay debts due to it. He pleaded guilty in court yesterday.
In April, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for alleged involvement in gambling activities.