Pete Rose Sports Betting Back in the News
Scott Morris | June 2, 2018
With the recent striking down of the law that made sports gambling illegal in 46 states, many baseball fans have turned their attention to Pete Rose and his current ban from the Baseball Hall of Fame. They started wondering that if Pete Rose is banned from the MLB Hall of Fame because of sports betting, and now it is legal, shouldn’t he be allowed in at some point?
Current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was asked this very question recently and responded as such: “No matter what happens in terms of legalization, there will always be a rule that prohibits betting on baseball. That’s the bedrock of our integrity. That’s the rule Pete Rose violated. Whether (gambling) is legal or illegal, the rule is still going to be there. First of all, it was illegal when he did it. But more importantly, we’re always going to have that rule applicable to on-field personnel. It doesn’t change my thinking at all.”
As you can see, Manfred clearly points out the crux of the case against Rose, the fact that he bet baseball. He bet on a sport in which he had direct participation. Furthermore, Rose bet on Cincinnati Reds games, the team of which he was a player and manager. That is the supreme crux of the case against Rose getting into the Hall. If you have any doubts that he bet on the Reds please check out our article from 2015 PETE ROSE’S BETTING SHEETS ANALYZED.
In the article you can see the betting sheets and an explanation of each bet. When this evidence was brought against him in court, Rose agreed to a banishment from the Hall of Fame as well as a stint in prison. He also had to pay taxes on unclaimed income. The tax portion was what landed him the prison time. The case is really cut and dry from a legal perspective.
It is reported that Pete Rose today is still a “high stakes gambler” and loses a large part of his reported earnings of $1m annual income. It is said he drives a Rolls Royce, despite owing the IRS back taxes, and raises money by charging fans to interact with him. A dinner for four (+Pete Rose) is said to be a $5,000 fee (+ the cost of dinner and tip). Disclaimer: Much of the information in this last paragraph is claimed by his recently divorced ex-wife, and we all know how that goes.
