MLB player Marcano handed life ban after placing bet on own team

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Major League Baseball player Tucupita Marcano has been banned for life after placing bets that included his own team’s games.

The infielder was confirmed to have placed 387 baseball bets. This included 231 bets related to the Major League Baseball (MLB) from October 2022 to November 2023. All these bets were said to have been placed while he was a Pittsburgh Pirates player.

Marcano has not been available for selection this season due to a knee injury. He did not play in any of the games in question which were before he commenced a second spell with the San Diego Padres last November.

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MLB stated Marcano placed bets worth over $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that related to MLB bets.

Marcano denies

According to the BBC, the 24-year-old has denied that any outcomes in the baseball games on which he placed bets were manipulated, influenced or compromised in any way.

Meanwhile, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly has been banned for one year. He was said to have placed separate bets on nine MLB games.

In a statement, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement: “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans.”

The last active player to get a lifetime ban for gambling had been New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924.

Also, three minor league players have been placed on bans for breaching betting rules. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez, and Padres pitcher Jay Groome, have each received one-year bans.