What happens when a top 5 MLB star gets busted for wagering on his own games?
DocBenjamin
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in Sports Talk
Same question for the NFL.
Ohtani was a close one.
It will happen, likely on a secondary account.
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Will it mitigate things if the player is using the partner betting site?
"BetMGM is the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball."
If we're talking about a superstar cash cow then Rob Manfred sweeps it under a rug somewhere. Nothing to see here folks.
The only proof that you need in order to definitively establish that Ohtani was NOT betting on baseball, and certainly not his own games, is that money was lost and debt was owed to the bookie.
The most sure bet in sports is that late in an Angels game, with the score close, and Trouty at the plate, is that Trouty was going to strike out. If Ohtani had hammered that "fire bet" at every opportunity, he would have quickly put the bookies out of business. It's been a winning play in my arsenal for over a decade.
Ironically most of the dudes busted have been ratted by the online bookies. Non official MLB sites might be anxious to publicize an infraction.
The bigger the star the more they would try and protect them or find a fall guy, but It wouldnt make a difference if they were using the official partner. Theres different penalties for betting on the sport or how its bet, but its a lifetime ban in all the leagues if you get caught betting on your own games. It might actually be worse for the leagues with the regulatory issues if the official partner was used
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
The real question that Basebal21 raises here isn’t who will be given a pass in the future, but rather, who has received a pass for betting on MLB baseball already.
Probably all of the stars.
I think with all the betting apps and open doors nearly everywhere to bet on sports now it's highly likely that a lot of current players have bet on something they shouldn't have bet on
I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if that Othani situation was a big cover up so they didnt have to ban him
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
It doesn’t make much sense to me with regard to Ohtani. Bet a dollar to win a penny?
What makes more sense enjoying the rush of betting or getting on a personal private plane with a close manager and his wife after all the news of them stealing millions from you? He wasnt the only player from the Angels that got tied up in all of that either. I dont really care if athletes bet on their team to win in a positive way but the story is certainly suspicious. Managers are a different story
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
Addictions never make sense, ask Pete Rose, among others.
With gambling it's not always about the money.
It's about the "Action"
That's excitement for those who don't understand gambling language lol
Absolutely, and during a dreary season on the road, the casino is in your pocket.
My point was that betting pedestrian amounts - relative to net worth I mean - may not be much of a thrill so I question the reasoning.
It’s all about the action huh. I still prefer trap shooting.
There's an old saying about gambling. The next best thing to gambling and winning, is gambling and losing.
There are some gambling activities which in the scenario you stated, are more for social reasons than really caring much about making money. For example, playing golf for a dollar a hole, a low stakes poker game, a low cost bet on a March Madness pool, etc. The camaraderie, the conversation, the friendly banter, etc, is worth the few dollars which may be lost.
However if any MLB players are betting on baseball only for the reason of just having innocent fun in some way, that could be a fatal mistake to their career. The players need to learn quickly their first day in the league to be disciplined not to do that. Because MLB owners do not care what's the reason. The owners believe and that belief is never going to change, that any MLB player betting on MLB baseball, affects the integrity of the game, and that's that.
Integrity went out the window when the leagues embraced the riches of legalized gambling.
Got no issue with that as I like to put down a couple sport wagers a year, but every close play is questioned with the implication that the refs had a wager down. Not true of course, but that puts every game changing call in a dark spotlight.
For people who gamble on baseball, when it could mean the end of their careers, it's not about "action" it's become a compulsion.
$100 a hole for golf I’ve seen. I’ve never done it because I’m in the TopGolf phase of my golf career. We did play $1 a hole in league as kids though. If you had a good day you might have enough for a sleeve of x-outs.
I hope Ohtani is betting on baseball. That would make for a funny story. But I would bet a meaningful amount of my own money on the other side of that bet. If I was going to bet and risk money I would want my upside to make it worth the risk.
We may never know but to assume there’s a cover up. That seems very unlikely.
I love shooting. I don't shoot trap but I love my fellow sportsman
I still prefer trap shooting.
hey bgr...
here ya go...
anytime that you bust open a: Pack - Cell-O - Rack - Hanger - Blaster - Box - Case, or even a box of Kellogg's to chase down that 3-D ...🏈⚾🏀🏒
Is A Giant Gamble...🤣🙃🤣🙃
Young and not fully smart. Just a few taps on the smartphone and you are in action. Or a call to the brother-in-law...or maybe the interpreter.
Already a number of pro athletes have taken bans from a year to a career. It was advertised that the high pay would deter the players from taking payoffs. That may be true, but what seems like an innocent fifty dollar bet, sponsored and endorsed by the owners is a recipe for trouble.
Do you really think that the NFL wouldnt try and protect Mahomes? As valuable as he is to the NFL, Othani is at least 2 or 3 times more valuable to MLB with the ratings he brings
Lets put it this way. Othani has been making over 40 million a year in endorsements and now its now reported up to over 60 million a year which is why he could deffer 680 million of his 700 million dollar contract for a decade getting paid 2 million a year for the next 10 years. The next closest MLB player is Harper, he makes 7 million a year
The Dodgers and Padres opened the season in South Korea because of Othani and to a lesser extent Kim. Othani is a massive star
Its naive to look at the details of the story (which drastically changed from the first statements) and the actions of the people and think a cover up of a mega mega star would be very unlikely.
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
Biggest problem for baseball umpiring is theres no accountability. No matter how bad you are you never get fired or sent back down making us endure guys like Joe West and Angel Hernandez far far far to long.
The replays pretty bad too. Replay umps should be a separate entity not an umpire scared of overturning their bosses call.
Right now MLB is planning on testing robots ups in spring training and if it goes well implementing it in 2026. That seems a lot more sketchy of someone being able to hack the system and change the strike zone when they want, but its a necessary evil with how the umpires have protected the really bad ones for so long
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
Great example. I’m a pack gambler for sure. Free the stars from their waxy slumber. Haha.
I think that the NFL and the MLB and the NBA and leagues of this sort in general are, first and foremost, businesses. And these businesses will seek to protect themselves. I agree that guys like Mahomes and Ohtani and substitute your favorite “face of the game” at any time or cover of Madden or SI player of the year etc. I agree they are valuable commodities for these businesses. But I also believe that no business will sacrifice its body to save its arm. The scenario you present where there is a coverup because one of these players did something is plausible but it wouldn’t be MLB. It would be someone inside MLB who is close enough to the top to make moves but not actually driving the ship. That’s about as far as I could dip into a conspiracy happening in practice here. But again. I would rather be wrong and see the movie than be right.