Gambling on the Little League World Series? Sports bettors have gone too far

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1:01 PM PDT · August 19, 2026

Have we tried turning disconnected nine and turning it backmost connected again? We request a implicit taste reset, due to the fact that determination are really sports betting providers that fto radical gamble connected Little League World Series (LLWS) outcomes.

For the uninitiated, the LLWS is an annually televised tourney wherever ten- to twelve-year-old shot players from astir the satellite look off. It’s a beauteous wholesome event, though hopefully not excessively traumatizing for the kids who driblet regular alert balls connected a planetary broadcast that everyone they cognize is watching.

State-regulated sportsbooks and federally regulated prediction markets similar Kalshi and Polymarket do not let bettors to gamble connected the LLWS (though Polymarket did connection LLWS bets successful 2024). But offshore sportsbooks similar BetOnline Sports & Casino don’t person to adhere to U.S. laws, truthful they tin connection the accidental to gamble connected children.

“We connection Little League World Series likelihood due to the fact that there’s a monolithic request for it,” BetOnline Brand Manager Dave Mason said successful a property release, which added that bettors gambled doubly arsenic overmuch wealth successful 2025 arsenic they did successful 2024. “Our customers petition these likelihood each year, and we’ll instrumentality much bets connected the LLBWS implicit the adjacent 2 weeks than connected established markets specified arsenic the WNBA, Major League Soccer, pro tennis oregon golf.”

Mason claimed successful a station connected X that much users are wagering connected a Little League matchup betwixt teams from South Korea and Canada than connected definite Major League Baseball games.

Whether it’s technically ineligible oregon not, we should beryllium capable to hold that this is gross and anyone betting connected kids should consciousness bad.

Last year, the LLWS enactment retired a connection astir sports betting, which it reposted connected Wednesday arsenic a reminder.

“Little League is simply a trusted spot wherever children are learning the fundamentals of the games and each the important beingness lessons that travel with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and nary 1 should beryllium exploiting the occurrence and failures of children playing the crippled they emotion for their ain idiosyncratic gain,” the enactment said.

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Amanda Silberling is simply a elder writer astatine TechCrunch covering the intersection of exertion and culture. She has besides written for publications similar Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast astir net culture, with subject fabrication writer Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked arsenic a grassroots organizer, depository educator, and movie festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. successful English from the University of Pennsylvania and served arsenic a Princeton successful Asia Fellow successful Laos.

You tin interaction oregon verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted connection astatine @amanda.100 connected Signal.

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