Major League Baseball (MLB) player Tucupita Marcano has been banned permanently for gambling on games, including those of his own team. The league cited Rule 21, which states players cannot bet on games where they have a duty to perform. However, Marcano did not play in any of the games he bet on. As a result, he has been banned for life. Additionally, four other players received one-year suspensions for gambling activities related to sports betting.
MLB was alerted to Marcano’s activities by a sportsbook in March, leading to an investigation that uncovered 387 bets totaling more than $150,000. Twenty-five of the wagers involved the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team Marcano was with at the time of the bets. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in July and not playing in any of the games, Marcano has chosen not to appeal the decision.
Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the prohibition against betting on MLB games has been a fundamental principle for over a century. MLB intends to continue investing heavily in integrity monitoring, education programs, and awareness initiatives to uphold the integrity of the sport. Marcano’s ban marks the first permanent ban since baseball legend Pete Rose received a lifetime ban for gambling-related activities in 1989.
This incident is the latest in a series of high-profile sports-betting scandals. In April, Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was permanently banned from the NBA for sharing health information with a sports bettor, among other violations. In another case, the former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was charged with stealing $16 million from the pitcher to cover gambling debts. Premier League star Lucas Paqueta in the UK is also facing a lifetime ban from soccer for allegedly manipulating game outcomes to assist friends with their bets.