Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, has expressed his concerns regarding the safety of its players in relation to gambling, despite his confidence in the league’s ability “to catch personnel who violate the league’s gambling policies.”
The statement was made after Manfred claimed he’d been notified about players having received threats.
“If a player receives a threat from any source, on any topic, it is a matter of concern to us that we take (it) really seriously,” stated Manfred. “I’ve had players in the last month mention this issue to me as one of concern and we’re discussing what we should do to be more proactive in this area.”
Manfred believes the league’s association with gambling entities is helping policing its own policies. Those companies will report violations to the league, in which investigations could be opened and stiff penalties assessed.
In light of Manfred’s comments, there has been news of players suspended during the season or receiving lifetime bans due to gambling, as well as an MLB umpire being investigated for similar breach of conduct.
A case receiving global attention involved Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was charged with bank fraud for illegally transferring over US$16m from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaking operation.
On another continent, Spanish gambling operators joined an initiative to combat sports betting fraud.
