Major League Baseball is considering how to protect players amid increased threats linked to the growing prevalence of gambling in the United States.
“In recent weeks, players have raised concerns about this issue with me,” said Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday before the All-Star Game.
“It’s clearly something that worries us, and internally we’ve been discussing what steps, if any, we should take to be more proactive in this area.”
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a law prohibiting sports betting in most states, leading to the opening of sportsbooks for major professional sports in stadiums across the country.
Last month, USA Today reported instances where baseball players received threats related to gambling.
“Whenever a player receives a threat from any source on any subject, it’s a concern we take very seriously through our central security operation and our regional personnel with each club,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Players’ union leader Tony Clark, a former All-Star first baseman, noted, “We were concerned from the beginning and remain so, especially as more players, in our sport and others, find themselves targeted.”
A former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, pleaded guilty in June to bank and tax fraud for embezzling nearly $17 million from the athlete’s Arizona bank account to cover gambling losses with an illegal bookmaker.
San Diego infielder Tucupita Marcano was permanently banned from baseball in June for betting on games. Oakland pitcher Michael Kelly was suspended for one year for betting on baseball while in the minors, along with three minor leaguers: San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez, each suspended for one year for betting on major league games.
