A major professional sports league is taking steps to educate its players on problem gaming.
MLB has secured a partnership with technology services company EPIC Global Solutions and non-profit organization Entain Foundation to bolster the league’s resources that educate players on how to curtail gambling-related issues. As part of the pact, EPIC will provide MLB’s minor league players with educational sessions aimed at responsible gambling and mental health. Entain will provide financial support for the sessions, including funds for additional initiatives.
"Our younger minor league players in particular are coming into the league at a time when mobile sports betting is an increasingly prominent part of the sports ecosystem,” said MLB sports betting and compliance VP Quest Meeks. “We want to help those players avoid gambling-related pitfalls that can derail not only their careers but also their day-to-day lives.
EPIC and Entain Foundation have previously worked together to help prevent problem gambling. The two entities have taken steps to educate the general public on how to prevent problem gambling. EPIC and Entain have collaborated to educate professional athletes, college athletic programs, coaches, and other sports organizations on gambling harm prevention.
MLB, EPIC, and Entain will begin their partnership in 2024 during minor league spring training.
Rampant issue
MLB’s willingness to educate its players on problem gaming comes amid a bevy of incidents of athletes illicitly betting on sports.
Earlier this year, Alabama fired head baseball coach Brad Bohannon following an investigation into a suspicious in-person bet involving his team at the Great American Ball Park’s sportsbook in Cincinnati. The wager caused regulators to ban wagering on Alabama baseball. As a result of his firing, Bohannon was placed on Ohio’s self-exclusion list by the Casino Control Commission.
Gambling issues have also impacted professional sports. In October, the NHL suspended Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto for 41 games due to "activities relating to sports wagering” — a violation of the league’s sports betting rules. The PGA also suspended a pair of players on the Korn Ferry Tour for wagering on PGA Tour competitions, but not ones they participated in.
