The baseball players’ association worries about MLB’s deals with gambling companies

Union executive director Tony Clark said it’s a “delicate” and “dangerous” world.

US.- Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises are entering into lucrative sponsorship deals with online sportsbooks and the Executive Director of the MLB Players Association, Tony Clark, has shown concern regarding the sport’s increased commercial deals with sports gambling companies.

“We’re entering a very delicate and, dare I say, dangerous world here. We hope that it is truly beneficial for our game moving forward and that everyone who is involved benefits from it in one fashion or another. But when you have players suggest that no sooner was PASPA repealed, that they started to have book houses following them on social media, that gets you a little twitchy pretty quick,” said Clark about the increase of the relationships between teams and gambling, according to Associated Press.

Clark added: “And so we’ll continue to pound the pavement in each of the state legislatures that are continuing to push, that have language in place and those that don’t yet that are potentially coming online, to ensure that as much as anything, our players are protected, and their families by extension, are protected as a result of the language that’s on the books despite the fact that this train has left the station.”

Earlier this month, MGM Resorts International announced a multi-year agreement to become an official partner of MLB Players, Inc., giving the company use of MLB Players’ branding and group marketing rights. The partnership also provides hospitality benefits to MLB Players, with MGM Resorts properties serving as the host location for a variety of MLB Player events.

MLB Players is the business arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association, the collective bargaining representative for professional baseball players in the 30 MLB teams.

Also, BetMGM and the Washington Nationals opened the first retail sportsbook connected to a MLB stadium, at Nationals Park. The BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park is open year-round.

Caesars Entertainment, in partnership with the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, opened Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field and DraftKings is building an in-stadium sports book, scheduled to open next year at the southeast corner of Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Back in May, BetMGM signed its first major deal in the state of Texas by partnering with Major League Baseball side Houston Astros. MGM Resorts‘ igaming and sportsbook brand became the team’s “exclusive Sports Betting Partner.”

In the same month, Caesars Entertainment and the Chicago White Sox announced a partnership to make Caesars Entertainment an exclusive casino partner and Caesars Sportsbook an official sports betting partner of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team.