As the 2025 Little League World Series unfolds in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the organization behind the iconic youth tournament is making a firm appeal: stop gambling on games involving children.

In a strongly worded statement released Thursday, Little League International said that betting on competitions featuring players aged 10 to 12 is unacceptable and fundamentally undermines the spirit of the event.

“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,” the organization said, according to Yahoo Sports.

The statement added: “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.”

Offshore Betting Markets Persist Despite Warnings

Although U.S.-regulated sportsbooks do not post odds on youth tournaments, overseas betting sites have embraced the Little League World Series as a market. Offshore operators such as BetOnline.ag and Bovada, neither licensed nor regulated in the United States, have continued to offer wagers on the event for several years.

BetOnline brand manager Dave Mason explained: “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. 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 site is based in Panama, and while state officials in the U.S. have issued repeated cease-and-desist orders, enforcement remains difficult. Other unregulated platforms, including Polymarket last year, have also opened betting pools on Little League contests.

Growing Concerns Around Gambling and Youth Sports

The legalization of sports betting in the United States accelerated after a 2018 Supreme Court decision allowed states to set their own laws. Since then, professional leagues from the NFL to MLB have partnered with gambling companies, and betting-related ads have saturated broadcasts.

While wagering on professional sports is widely accepted, applying that same practice to children’s games has struck many as troubling. Dan Gallagher, a longtime coach and administrator with Washoe Little League in Nevada, said he was stunned to learn offshore markets were targeting the event.

“It just has a creepy, gross feeling to it,” Gallagher told the Reno Gazette-Journal. “Just to think that there’s adults betting on this, on the outcomes of these kids living their dreams, is just unsettling.”

Gallagher expressed worries that gamblers could track down players online, opening the door to harassment or even attempts to influence play. “These kids are highlighted very heavily on the broadcasts, so finding them on the internet wouldn’t be a huge challenge,” he said.

Risks Extend Beyond the Field

The ethical concerns aren’t hypothetical. In professional sports, gambling has already led to controversies, including suspensions for MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz amid suspicious microbetting activity. If multimillion-dollar athletes can be caught up in betting scandals, critics argue, the potential pressures on pre-teens could be even more damaging.

Little League officials have banned advertising that incorporates gambling imagery, making their stance clear. Yet despite the prohibition, the demand for wagering remains. According to a representative of one betting site, the Little League World Series often draws more betting action than professional soccer or tennis matches.

For Gallagher and others, the idea that youth athletes must compete under the shadow of gambling interests is deeply troubling. “If you’re betting on kids,” he said, “you need to get some help.”

A Beloved Tournament Overshadowed

The Little League World Series, now in its 77th year, features 20 teams—10 from the U.S. and 10 international squads—vying for the championship on August 24. The event is broadcast nationally and attracts millions of viewers who celebrate the skills and sportsmanship of children on the field.

Yet this year’s competition has been marked by headlines beyond baseball, including the arrest of a former security employee accused of issuing terroristic threats against the organization. Against that backdrop, officials are determined to keep the tournament focused on what it was always meant to be: a celebration of youth, teamwork, and fair play—not a platform for gambling.