Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito met with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to discuss the impact of sports betting on baseball.
Giolito spoke about his interaction with Manfred on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ podcast, revealing the commissioner heard concerns from Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies players regarding the domino effect gambling has brought to the game.
The turning point for MLB came in 2018 when the US Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) which had previously restricted sports betting in most states.
Ever since, sports betting apps have become a phenomenon in the country and there are currently 38 states that offer the product in a rapidly-growing industry which has recorded huge profits year-by-year.
The 31-year-old said: “I asked him about something that has been on my mind this year that’s been a little worrisome for me with the rise of sports betting – the access that exists now with social media and everything.”
He added the threats a player receives when they don’t perform well, alongside those to their family, is something especially new players simply aren’t ready to deal with.
In June, it was revealed a drunk gambler living overseas was behind death threats sent to the relatives of Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
Giolito Details Social Media Abuse, Labels Gambling ‘A Disease’
Giolito stated: “I’m getting messages after every game, even games where I pitch well where they’re made at me because I hit the strike out over instead of being under, or I was under instead of being over like prop bets – all these crazy things.
“And people put hundreds of dollars on it and they don’t have a lot of money, but they’re gambling it anyways because it’s a disease. They freak out.”
Gambling controversy continues to rock the MLB world and just weeks ago, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was the latest player named in a gambling probe by the league.
His teammate Luis Ortiz had his paid leave extended by the MLB shortly before also, who faces allegations of pre-determining the outcome of certain pitches.
Baseball isn’t the only sport that thinks there is a huge problem linked between gambling and social media abuse.
In June, the Women’s Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation revealed they want betting companies to combat the gambling-driven abuse of players.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
