Little League International Condemns Sports Betting on Youth Sports

• Little League International issued a statement condemning any and all betting on its events
• Says children should not be exploited for sports betting purposes
• U.S. regulated sports betting does not offer Little League World Series markets

Little League International tonight released an official statement condemning any and all sports betting on its Little League World Series event.

The youth sports organization issued a statement on its social media channels that it will continue to monitor the ever-evolving world of sports betting, but feels “strongly that there is no place for betting on Little League games or on any youth sports competition.”

“Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and no one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain,” representatives wrote in the official statement.

Regulated Sportsbooks Do Not Accept Bets on Little League

It is important to understand that no state with legalized sports betting allows markets on Little League baseball. Legal sports betting states have regulations and rules that prohibit betting markets where the majority of athletes are under 18-years-of-age.

Licensed and regulated sportsbooks also have their own house rules that prohibit betting markets on the Little League World Series.

However, unregulated offshore sportsbooks have offered betting markets on the Little League World Series for years. Sites such as BetOnline.ag offer illegal sports betting markets on the Little League World Series.

BetOnline.ag is based in Panama and offers various sports betting and iGaming platforms in the U.S. It has received numerous cease-and-desist orders – most recently from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office – with varying degrees of effectiveness.

It is not licensed in Pennsylvania, or anywhere in the United States, to offer legal gaming.

Little League Betting Rampant on Offshore, Illegal Sportsbooks

It is not difficult to find offshore sportsbooks that offer these odds. Sportsbooks such as Bovada or BetOnline.ag are located offshore and do not abide by U.S. sports betting rules or regulations.

None of the offshore sportsbooks offering bets on the Little League World Series are licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to do business in the state, where the Little League World Series takes place every year.

The illegal sportsbooks are unlicensed, pay no taxes, and offer no consumer protections to users.