Little League Baseball releases statement on gambling on Little League World Series

Little League Baseball has made the call on gambling on Little League World Series games. On Thursday, Little Baseball issued a statement on the issue as sports gambling continues to grow in the United States.

“While Little League International continues to monitor the complexity and ever-evolving world of sports betting, we feel strongly that there is no place for betting on Little League games or on any youth sports competition,” Little League Baseball said. “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.”

More on the Little League World Series

The reason Little League Baseball issued the statement because BetOnline.ag is offering gambling odds on the tournament. “The Little League World Series is an exciting tournament that our customers absolutely love to watch, and we get requests from them every year around this time to offer odds,” BetOnline brand manager Dave Mason said in a statement, per Patch.com. “This will probably be shocking to hear, but we’ll take more bets on these Little League games than we will on any professional tennis or soccer match over the next two weeks.”

The 2025 Little League World Series kicked off on Wednesday, and the championship game is scheduled for Aug. 24. The tournament features 20 teams — 10 from the United States and 10 international teams — and it’s divided in two brackets. The winner of the U.S. bracket will take on the international winner in the championship game.

The Little League World Series began in 1947. A team from the United States have won it 40 times, and California is the state leader with eight titles. Internationally, Taiwan has the most Little League World Series Championships with 17.