If there is one league who has a back mark on it for involvement with illegal gambling, it is Major League Baseball. From the Black Sox scandal in the early 1900’s, to Pete Rose betting on games as a player, baseball has long been mired by its dark gambling history. With legalized sports betting coming to many new places in the US over the next few years, baseball has no option but to be closer to betting than ever before. With this territory comes the increased percentage that league personnel can get involved in some sketchy activity. This was indeed the case with minor league pitcher Peter Beyer, who has been banned from American professional baseball since April of 2021.
Just last week, former A’s prospect Peter Bayer publicly revealed that Major League Baseball has barred him from playing professionally for almost two years to this point because he bet on baseball games during the canceled minor league baseball season in 2020. Bayer made the bets in Colorado, where a gaming official confirmed that the ex-player’s wagers on baseball violated the state’s sports betting regulations. Dan Hartman, director of the Colorado Division of Gaming, stated that Bayer’s relationship with MLB made him a prohibited bettor, and state regulators are obligated to report those violations to the league. “For the integrity of sports betting, this collaboration between regulators and law enforcement and leagues has to take place and has to be a two-way street in order to make sure people that aren’t prohibited players are getting a fair, legal market,” said Hartman.
According to Bayer, the MLB has fabricated numbers in his case, including the amount of total bets he placed, as well as his average bet amounts, which he says are a lot lower than what was presented by Rob Manfred, who heads the MLB’s Commissioner’s office. He also said he didn’t place any legal bets until after he was released by the Oakland Athletics organization after the 2019 season, meaning he was technically not under contract by any MLB team. Bayer’s punishment began early in 2021 when he agreed to sign a contract with the Cincinnati Reds. But the MLB Commissioner’s office alerted the Reds that Bayer was under investigation and suspended immediately because he gambled on MLB games. Regardless of the amounts wagered, the MLB was tipped off by state regulators when Bayer submitted a false “chargeback” claim, which occurs when a debit or credit card holder disputes a transaction with their bank, in an attempt to have the transaction reversed.
Bayer went public with his case only after receiving news from Major League Baseball that they would be upholding his suspension through the 2023 season. He can apply for reinstatement again following the 2023 World Series. While Manfred’s decision to keep him out of baseball certainly isn’t changing anytime soon, perhaps Bayer’s public plea for instatement can help gain some support from the general public.
It is worth noting that every other professional sports league in America has gambling rules and regulations that are aligned with the MLB. Without a firm stance on the issue, there would be opportunities for those involved with the NBA, NFL, NHL, and so on, to potentially disrupt the integrity of professional sports as we know it. With the sweeping legalization of sports betting across the country, it is vital that these leagues traverse the waters with the utmost caution and care. While Bayer’s case is certainly an anomaly, the league’s anti-gambling rules have been in place for a while, and it is ultimately up to league personnel to abide by these measures. If Bayer knew he had the potential to play baseball professionally again, he should have played it safe, and stayed away from gambling on sports until he knew his pro days were over.
