The pervasiveness of wagering has grown considerably across virtually every echelon of athletic competition. The organizers responsible for the Little League World Series are eager to maintain a separation between their tournament and such activities.
As the LLWS progresses, Little League International issued a declaration on Thursday asserting the inappropriateness of sports wagering on its contests or any other youth-oriented sporting events. The complete declaration reads:
As Little League® International remains observant of the intricate and continuously evolving landscape of sports wagering, we hold a resolute conviction that wagering on Little League games or any other youth sports competition is misplaced. Little League serves as a reliable environment where youngsters acquire fundamental game skills alongside valuable life lessons derived from enjoyment, collaborative spirit, and ethical gameplay. No individual should exploit the successes or setbacks of children participating in the sports they cherish for personal enrichment.
The current edition of the Little League World Series for 2025 is in progress, culminating in its championship match scheduled for August 24.
While prominent sportsbooks generally abstain from offering odds on a tournament featuring participants aged 10 to 12, this isn’t necessarily the case for unregulated, international sportsbooks. A brand manager associated with such a firm, now in its fourth year of providing LLWS odds, communicated to the Patch that Little League game wagers surpass those placed on “any professional tennis or soccer match over the next two weeks.”
A U.S. Supreme Court verdict in 2018 initiated an expansion of sports wagering, granting individual states the autonomy to establish legality and resulting in a saturation of advertisements throughout media channels. MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and numerous other leagues have established formal partnerships with gambling entities.
This transition has undoubtedly encountered challenges. Aside from the ethical concerns encompassing gambling addiction and personal financial collapse, issues within baseball have involved players facing suspension for alleged manipulation of micro-bets tied to their pitching performances, alongside instances of appalling death threats directed toward players perceived to have underperformed.
Little League’s reluctance to permit such influences affecting its participants is understandable, leading to a prohibition of gambling-related imagery within advertising. Nevertheless, the presence of bettors is undeniably evident.
