San Diego Padres’s Marcano hit with lifetime ban for betting on baseball

Major League Baseball player Tucupita Marcano has been permanently banned from the organization after an inquiry found that he had allegedly been betting on the sport.

The MLB announced the ban on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

Marcano, who currently plays for the San Diego Padres, is the first active player to be banned for gambling since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell was barred for betting in 1924.

“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,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”

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