The Little League World Series has condemned betting on its games.
In August 2025, the youth sports league issued a statement calling it exploitation to bet on the outcomes of LLWS games.
“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 any youth sports competition,” the group said in a social media statement.
“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. No one should be exploiting the success and failure of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain.”
There are some things to unpack here.
Is Betting on Little League Baseball Legal?
No, betting on Little League Baseball games, including the LLWS, is illegal in the U.S.
State-sanctioned sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel don’t accept bets on Little League Baseball. State governments have barred them from doing so.
None of the more than 30 states with legal sports betting have allowed any sportsbook — mobile or brick-and-mortar — to accept these bets.
The reason is that states prohibit bets on sports leagues where most of the participants are under the age of 18. This includes all youth sports, not just Little League Baseball.
Why it’s Illegal to Bet on LLWS
There are several reasons why legal betting on Little League Baseball would be terrible.
- Sports bettor abuse (online or in person), including death threats
- Corrupt interests trying to fix a game
- Betting ads and promotions on LLWS games
- Normalization of gambling for youth
- Increased risk of gambling addiction among fans and families
- Greater financial incentive for teams to cheat or break rules
In general, online sports betting is destructive to society. State-sanctioned gambling on youth sports would exacerbate the harm to individuals, families and communities.
Little League Odds at Offshore Sportsbooks
Some illegal offshore sportsbooks take bets on the Little League World Series.
For example, BetOnline and Bovada had odds on individual games of the 2025 LLWS.
These offshore betting sites operate from foreign countries, such as Cyprus, Panama and Curacao, and are illegal enterprises.
As of August 2025, the U.S. federal government was considering an enforcement action against these sportsbooks — in the form of criminal charges and civil litigation.
Some states, such as Tennessee and Michigan, have already filed cease-and-desist letters against offshore sportsbooks.
The legal sports betting industry estimates the offshore sports betting market to be worth billions of dollars annually.
Popularity of Little League World Series Betting
There is significant demand for gambling on Little League Baseball.
A BetOnline representative said in August 2025 that betting on the LLWS is more popular than WNBA betting (with the exception of Caitlin Clark games).
“Even though the limits are much higher on the WNBA, there are more bets and more money on the Texas vs. Connecticut LLWS game than the spread and ML (combined) of the Sky vs. Sun WNBA game,” said the BetOnline spokesperson.
Still, LLWS betting is dwarfed by gambling on the NFL preseason, which also runs in August.
ESPN BET Ads During LLWS Games?
Little League World Series games air live on ESPN. The sports network licensed its brand to Penn Entertainment for the operation of ESPN BET, a mobile sportsbook.
According to ESPN’s advertising policy, no gambling odds can run during youth sports broadcasts. That rule applies to the network’s branded betting app.
This restriction also applies across digital formats—such as pre-roll streaming ads and mobile/social platforms—and includes sponsorship placement on sport front pages.
So officially, ESPN is not supposed to air ESPN BET or other sportsbook ads while LLWS games are on. There are no known instances of ESPN violating its own policy.
Little League World Series Hypocrisy?
At least one observer noted that the Little League International gave its CEO a significant annual compensation of more than $500,000.
Here’s what one observer noted:
“The CEO of Little League Baseball, Stephen D. Keener, earned a total compensation of $526,776 in 2023, according to the most recent IRS Form 990 filing for Little League Baseball Inc. This amount includes his base salary of $477,405 and additional benefits of $49,371.
Seems like Little League Baseball is big business, which means they have no room to act like they are the arbiter of morality.”
Little League Baseball Inc. brings in more than $38 million annually, according to ProPublica. Families and players are not compensated, although travel expenses may be covered.
Is a $500,000+ annual compensation for the (former) CEO a form of “exploiting the success and failure of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain”?
It’s up to you to decide.
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