We have a new gambling scandal that’s about to rock the sports world. According to Wall Street Journalist Lindsey Adler, San Deigo Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is facing a lifetime suspension from the MLB due to gambling on baseball. This stems from an incident last season while he was on the Pirates. Reports say that Marcano was betting on Pirates games while he was on the injured list. Of course, these are all allegations.
However, Marcano isn’t the only player in this situation. He’s just the only name played. The Wall Street Journal also claims that four other players are under investigation for similar allegations. We don’t know who these players are or what teams they’re connected to. This is just the beginning of this story and we’re expecting more details soon.
The biggest concern about this story is that it is yet another in a long list of gambling scandals in the sports world. It’s time to start questioning what teams and leagues can do to prevent these scandals.
Gambling Scandals Over The Past Few Years
This isn’t the first gambling scandal the MLB has faced this season. At the start of the season, Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was under investigation for stealing 16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. Now, the scandal came when questions arose about whether or not Ohtani knew about it. Now, although Ohtani was eventually found to not know about the incident, it was a black cloud that hung over the MLB for the beginning of the season. It definitely put a damper on MLB Opening Weekend.
MLB isn’t the only sports league that has been facing gambling problems. The NFL has had its problems with players gambling over the past few seasons. Calvin Ridley was suspended an entire season due to gambling on both NBA and NFL games, including parlays that involved the Falcons while taking a leave of absence from the team. Ridley isn’t the only player to be suspended by the NFL. Since the start of 2023, ten players have been suspended due to violating NFL gambling rules, including 2022 12th overall pick Jameson Williams.
The NBA and NHL haven’t been immune from these problems either. The NBA announced a lifetime suspension for Jontay Porter for gambling. The NHL also suspended Shane Pinto for 41 games for violating their gambling policies. This is a problem being seen across the four major sports.
How Do We Stop These Types of Scandals
Now some have called these leagues hypocrites. How can you punish players for gambling when you make millions from gambling companies? Well, it’s simple, having players gamble on their own team and sports is no different than insider trading. Players could have access to information about the league or games that the public doesn’t know. This gives them an unfair advantage. It’s no different than selling a stock because you know it’s going to tank.
So with that in mind, what can these leagues do to stop it? Currently, leagues are implementing stricter punishment to deter players from gambling. The NFL has a three-strike system for players who just gamble on the NFL or in NFL facilities. Two games for strike one, six games for strike two, and a year for strike three. However, if it’s found that the player is suspended for betting on their own team, it’s automatically two years.
However, the league should look more into educating their players about the rules. It seems like a lot of these problems come from players not knowing what the rules are. Ridley and Marcano bet on their teams while they were away from the club. The leagues should have regular meetings with their players to constantly remind the players what the rules are, and leave no room for confusion.
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