MLBPA's Clark says safety concerns up amid NBA gambling scandal - ESPN

TORONTO — Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark on Friday said «there is a lot of work to be done» by MLB in the wake of another sports gambling scandal hitting the NBA this week.

Speaking before Game 1 of the World Series at Rogers Centre, Clark reiterated that he is concerned about the problems sports gambling presents to players, including safety worries as threats directed at players from gamblers mount.

Clark pointed to the day the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018 — giving states the go-ahead to legalize betting on sports — saying the union had players «within 24 hours reach out suggesting they were suddenly being followed by gambling sites and other entities.»

«It's just a different world,» Clark said. «So every time, again, something happens, yeah, our concerns become greater and everyone on some level recognized that the world was going to be different.»

MLB has confronted several scandals in recent years as sports gambling has become more prevalent across the United States in recent years. Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July as part of the league's investigation into sports gambling. Last year, outfielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life for placing bets on baseball games. In February, umpire Pat Hoberg was fired for violating the league's gambling rules.

«We work closely with the league to ensure the safety and well-being of our players,» Clark said. «So that remains front and center. That alone, with the educating of our players, making sure that they understand what they can and can't do is consistent and constant. But rest assured every time there's a