🫣 Gambling Umpire

Today’s edition is brought to you by Juice Reel - the most comprehensive free sports betting tool for bettors.

Users can visualize and analyze their betting behavior through the app. This includes insights to the teams, bet types, and sports they bet on most right in your phone.

Juice Reel is free to download on the IOS/Android App Store.

Welcome back to the Bandit Betting Newsletter, where we deliver the top stories in sports and gambling directly to your inbox, every Sunday.

In today's email:

• MLB umpire: Pat Hoberg disciplined for violating gambling rules.

• Three Americans: charged with NBA sports betting fraud.

• Around the sports world: trending headlines.

Let's gamble...

MLB UMPIRE BETTING VIOLATION

Pat Hoberg is being held out of games during this season while an appeal is considered.

MLB has disciplined umpire Pat Hoberg for violating gambling rules and he is being held out of games pending an appeal.

Sports gambling has affected baseball all season, with several players punished for violations.

Including previously covered here on the newsletter - Tucupita Marcano, who received a lifetime ban, and Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to theft due to gambling debts.

Hoberg is the first umpire in recent history disciplined for gambling-related issues. Details of the allegations against Hoberg are unclear.

MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin stated no more details could be provided during the appeal.

Hoberg has not umpired since last year’s postseason and declined to comment, citing the ongoing appeal. He expressed his dedication to umpiring and gratitude for the support from the Major League Baseball Umpires Association.

Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling on sports betting, various North American leagues have faced similar issues.

Allegations against referees remain rare, with NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s 2007 conviction being a notable exception.

NBA BETTING CONSPIRACY

US authorities have charged three individuals with conspiring with an NBA player to rig basketball games, New York prosecutors said Thursday.

In April, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life after a probe found he bet on league matches.

Porter's name is redacted in the indictment, but game details match up with him.

The indictment states Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah, and Long Phi Pham" did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and defraud" an online sports betting company.

McCormack won $44,000 from bets, while Mollah netted over $1.2 million.

McCormack and Mollah allegedly got Porter to leave two games for medical reasons to bet against him.

The FBI began an investigation after online betting companies alerted them.

McCormack and Mollah were charged and released on bail, while Pham was arrested at JFK airport before boarding a flight to Australia.

AROUND THE SPORTS WORLD

Trending headlines via Yahoo Sports

McGregor withdraws: Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will no longer headline UFC 303 after McGregor withdrew with an injury. The Irishman hasn't fought in the UFC since July 2021, when he lost a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier via TKO.

Super Bowl rings: The Chiefs received their Super Bowl rings on Thursday in a private ceremony. Each ring includes a removable top that reveals a mini football field, individualized details for each player and a playbook diagram of the pass that won the game.

Shannon not guilty: Ex-Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. was found not guilty of sexual assault by a Kansas jury, opening a pathway for him to proceed with the pre-draft process.

‌Utah Hockey Club: Utah's new NHL team will officially be called the Utah Hockey Club next season before choosing a long-term name, and their permanent colors will be rock black, salt white and mountain blue.

‌Falcons forfeit pick: The Falcons will forfeit a 2025 fifth-round pick and pay a $250,000 fine after the NFL found they had improper contact with Kirk Cousins and others prior to the start of free agency.