MLBPA Seeks Player Prop Ban and Sportsbook Deal Clarity in 2027 Labor Talks

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 26

ESPN reported the MLB Players Association has proposed banning player prop bets, clarifying players’ rights to sportsbook and prediction-market endorsements, and changing how betting probes and penalties are handled in collective bargaining talks.
The push to scrap player props is aimed at reducing gambler harassment of players and shrinking opportunities for manipulation tied to individual outcomes.
Betting-integrity concerns have intensified after Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family received death threats last year, while Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are on unpaid leave amid alleged pitch-rigging cases.
The union also asked that players suspended for sports-betting violations be allowed a 15-day unpaid minor-league rehabilitation assignment near the end of their bans, adding another gambling-related flashpoint to negotiations ahead of the 2027 season.