Organisers of the Little League Baseball World Series have appealed to sports fans to stop betting on the popular event which features children aged between 10 and 12.
The concern is that even though sports betting sites in the US are not allowed offer markets on competitions featuring minors, offshore sportsbooks are operating outside of the legislation and will take wagers on the series.
As such, there is little that the organisers can do other than appeal to fans not to be tempted to bet.
“While Little League International continues to monitor the complexity and ever-evolving world of sports betting, we feel strongly that there is no place for betting on Little League games or on any youth sports competition,” the official sports body said in a statement.
“Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and no one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain.”
Deeper Concerns Within Baseball
The focus on betting within baseball comes at a time when several high-profile players are under investigation for potential breaches of strict Major League Baseball regulations.
Last month, MLB extended Luis Ortiz’s paid leave while an investigation continued into suspicious betting patterns.
The Cleveland Guardian Pitcher had already been placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” at the start of July after reports of a high volume of bets that had been placed on two of his pitches in games against the Seatle Mariners and St Louis Cardinals.
Fellow pitcher and team-mate Emmanuel Clase was also named in another MLB gambling probe in July and placed on non-disciplinary paid leave until August 31.
Earlier this summer, four MLB players suspended over gambling returned to baseball after a year out.
Andrew Saalfrank (Arizona Diamondbacks), Michael Kelly (Oakland Athletics), Jay Groome (San Diego Padres), and José Rodríguez (Philadelphia Phillies) were all served with 12-month suspensions in June 2024 after being found guilty of betting on baseball games.
The 2025 Little League World Series
The series got underway on August 13 at the Little League headquarters complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with the grand final scheduled for August 24.
First competed in 1947, the event has been played every year apart from 2020 when the Covid pandemic prevented sport from being played around the country.
The series features 10 teams from regions in the United States and a further 10 teams representing nations from outside of the US, with players aged from 10 to 12.
While teams from the US compete in knockout stages together to determine a champion, teams in the International bracket do the same.
The two winners from each bracket then play each other to determine the winner of the Little League Baseball World Series.
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
