Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has reiterated his earlier statements that the professional sports organization did not wish for sports betting to grow beyond Nevada. 

In a conversation with The Dallas Morning News this week, prior to the MLB All-Star Game taking place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, which is the Texas Rangers’ home, Manfred stated that professional baseball was against the US Supreme Court ruling from May 2018. 

The pivotal ruling annulled the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) enacted in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, which restricted single-game sports betting to Nevada. The Silver State was included in the law since casinos were already operating such sports betting activities at that time.

"We went to the Supreme Court trying to stop sports betting in New Jersey,” Manfred said in reference to New Jersey’s legal challenge that PASPA violated anti-commandeering interpretations of the US Constitution. “Once you had the Supreme Court decision, I don’t see it going backward.”

The landmark decision paved the way for states to determine the legality of sports betting within their territories. Slightly over six years later, 38 states along with Washington, DC, have implemented regulations for sports betting. 

Integrity is Essential 

Since 2018, numerous significant betting controversies have shaken MLB, particularly concerning one of the sport’s biggest stars, Shohei Ohtani, whose interpreter embezzled funds to place sports wagers. Manfred states that no matter the issue, safeguarding the game's integrity and preventing outside rogue influences from infiltrating the diamond is paramount.

"It’s important to say that our number one issue, the single thing on which there is no compromise, is the integrity of the game on the field,” Manfred said.

Nonetheless, Manfred recognized that it is now simpler to oversee sports betting to identify unusual activity that may suggest a game is being rigged or a player is involved in a scheme to produce a specific result. 

“In the era when all sports betting was illegal, it was impossible to monitor. Now, because sports betting is legal, we have extensive monitoring in place,” Manfred explained.

The commissioner indicated that this kind of monitoring assisted the league in identifying multiple incidents this year where individuals banned by the league's regulations engaged in sports betting. 

“Our ability to monitor is one of the positives that comes with legalization. In the old days, you didn’t have gambling scandals. It didn’t mean they didn’t have gambling. You just didn’t know about it,” Manfred stated, seemingly forgetting about Pete Rose.

Revenues at an All-Time High 

MLB significantly impacted the legal sports betting sector, generating unprecedented gross revenue of $10.92 billion last year, reflecting a 44.5% increase from the previous year. Wagerers placed $119.8 billion in bets through authorized and regulated sportsbooks. 

Wagering has been noted as enhancing fan involvement in both professional and collegiate sports. 

Regarding MLB, the league has indicated a 2% rise in live attendance this year, and television ratings have also increased. ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" has increased nearly 10% compared to 2023, while broadcasts on FS1 and MLB Network are up 7% and 18%, respectively.