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San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, 24, is facing a potential lifetime ban for betting on baseball after Major League Baseball received information that he wagered on games involving the Pittsburgh Pirates when he was with the team last season, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
MLB Rule 21 explicitly states that a player who bets on games involving his own team is subject to a lifetime ban.
More specifically it reads as follows:
(d) GAMBLING.
(1) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon
any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared
ineligible for one year.
(2) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon
any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared
permanently ineligible.
(3) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers,
or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems
appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct. Any player, umpire, or Club or League
official or employee who operates or works for an illegal bookmaking business shall be subject to a
minimum of a one-year suspension by the Commissioner. For purposes of this provision, an illegal
bookmaker is an individual who accepts, places or handles wagers on sporting events from members of
the public as part of a gaming operation that is unlawful in the jurisdiction in which the bets are
accepted.
Marcano tore an ACL last year and was on the injured list when he allegedly placed the bets, which were flagged by a sportsbook and reported to the league, according to sources.
Marcano was slated to begin playing once again in the minor leagues. He hit .217/.269/.320 in 447 at-bats for the Padres and Pirates from 2021-23.
Major League Baseball was rocked by another betting scandal earlier this season.
Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has indicated he plans to plead guilty to federal felony charges after admitting he had stolen money from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. He plead not guilty last month as a technicality.
MLB continues to investigate Ohtani's former teammate with the Los Angeles Angels, David Fletcher, for betting on sports with the same illegal bookmaker who took wagers from Mizuhara, according to ESPN's Tisha Thompson.
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