MLB slaps lifetime ban on player Tucupita Marcano for gambling including bets on own team

Major League Baseball on Tuesday imposed a lifetime ban on Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for betting on games including ones involving Pittsburgh Pirates for whom he was playing at the time.

MLB said Marcano "placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook," according to the Associated Press. He became the first active player in a century banned for life because of gambling.

Four additional players were suspended for one year for betting on baseball games that did not involve their own teams.

Marcano is the first MLB player since former MLB star Pete Rose to receive a lifetime ban for placing bets on games. Rose was a manager when he agreed to the ban in 1989 after an investigation. 

"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," Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Marcano’s 387 baseball bets included 231 MLB-related ones – for $87,319 from Oct. 16-23, 2022, and last July through Nov. 1. Among those bets, 25 included bets on Pirates games while he was playing for the team, the wire service also reports.