The San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been permanently banned from Major League Baseball for gambling on baseball. This is the first time an active MLB participant has been declared permanently ineligible since Pete Rose’s ban in 1989.
Marcano, who was with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization at the time, made 387 bets on baseball between October 16, 2022, and November 1, 2023. Of those bets, 231 were MLB-related while he was with the Pirates. Marcano spent over $150,000 on baseball bets, including $87,319 on MLB bets and the rest on international baseball games. Although he made 25 bets on Pirates games while on the major league club, he did not play in any of those games. In total, Marcano won only 4.3% of his MLB-related bets and lost all his Pirates parlays.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that enforcing the league’s rules on gambling conduct is crucial for protecting the integrity of the game. This decision to ban Marcano follows a similar punishment given to former NBA player Jontay Porter for violating gambling rules.
