SEATTLE — International, privately held, online gambling company BetOnline, citing a “slightly light” sports calendar this time of year, has announced that 38 games in the Little League World Series (LLWS) tournament will be available for betting at its sportsbook, including games featuring Puyallup's South Hill Little League baseball team.
The Puyallup Little League team is currently representing the Northwest United States in the Little League World Series bracket.
This marks the fourth year that BetOnline has offered betting on the Little League World Series, with BetUS and Bovada also offering bets on the event.
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“We create odds for the Little League World Series the same way we do for other sports like baseball, football and basketball,” sportsbook manager Adam Burns told MyNorthwest. “At a basic level, oddsmakers watch the teams' games, gather information from coverage, scrutinize box scores and analyze the data. Other factors also influence our power ratings, but some of these clubs have traditions and we have to respect that.”
According to BetOnline, the team from Florida representing the Southeast is the favorite to win the tournament, and the Puyallup team has the seventh-best odds of an American club. Chinese Taipei, the 17-time winner of the Asia-Pacific region of international tournaments, is the favorite to win among international teams. The United States has won the Little League World Series five years in a row.
“We tend to see the same geographic patterns of dominance as we see in high school football,” Burns said. “Southern states like Texas, Florida and California seem to be generally stronger. That's not always the case, but it's often the case.”
The Puget Sound region is becoming an exception, with the South Hill Little League team becoming the fourth consecutive team from Washington state to qualify for the LLWS tournament.
BetOnline maintains that its sportsbook competes with anything it sees as entertainment or political betting options, including esports and the Olympics, and that LLWS events are fair play.
“The Little League World Series is an exciting tournament that our customers love to watch and bet on,” Burns said. “You may be surprised to know that over the next two weeks, we will be accepting more bets on these Little League games than we will on any professional tennis or soccer games.”
According to Houston digital media outlet Chron, BetUS has not released specific figures on the amount or total amount of wagers its sportsbook will receive in the 2023 LLWS.
Some criticize betting on the Little League World Series
Other sportsbooks, mostly U.S.-based entities, have abandoned betting on the LLWS.
“Sportsbooks that offer Little League World Series lines are illegal overseas operators with no regard for the jurisdictions in which they operate,” DraftKings senior vice president and deputy general counsel Griffin Finnan told Cronos. “Betting on these events would not be permitted in any jurisdiction where DraftKings offers sports betting.”
BetOnline disagrees, arguing that while this will increase the popularity of the LLWS, other events such as professional wrestling, where the outcome is predetermined, can still be bet on at certain sportsbooks.
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“Take the Olympics as an example, where gambling has become widespread this year,” Burns said. “The Summer Olympics had 12- and 13-year-olds competing and people were able to bet on those events. The LLWS is a top-notch organization that has been successful for many years. Allowing people to bet on this great tournament brings even more attention to this league, these teams and their incredibly talented players.”
While figures have yet to be released on how much money will be wagered on the 2024 Paris Olympics, the number of potential bettors far exceeds past Olympics. According to NBC Sports, 97 million American adults could place bets in 2021. And with more than 30 states allowing some form of sports betting, 164 million American adults could place bets this year, a significant increase from the last Summer Olympics.
As for which sport will be the next big gambling hit, Burns said it's too difficult to predict, but he's excited to see what happens.
“Maybe if we hosted a flag football league in front of a national audience, it could be successful,” Burns added.
The 38 LLWS games will be televised daily on ESPN starting Wednesday. The event will conclude on Saturday, August 25th.
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