Kinley Rasmus Pitched at the Little League World Series — and Gamblers Were Watching

Kinley Rasmus stepped onto the pitcher's mound at the Little League World Series this August, her white bow bright in her brown ponytail. The 12-year-old from Phenix City, Alabama, was making history as only the ninth girl ever to pitch in the tournament. Thousands of fans tuned in to watch her play. But some viewers were watching for a very different reason — they had placed bets on how many strikeouts she would get.

Kinley is the daughter of Cory Rasmus, a former Major League Baseball player. That made her story even more exciting for fans. She became the 25th girl ever to compete in the Little League World Series, a tournament that draws huge crowds and lots of TV viewers each summer.

The bets on Kinley were called prop bets, which are wagers on specific things that might happen in a game. In her case, gamblers bet on whether she would strike out more or fewer than 6.5 batters. These bets were not placed at legal U.S. sports betting sites like DraftKings or FanDuel. Instead, they were offered by offshore websites — companies based in other countries that are not regulated by U.S. laws.

One of those offshore sites is called BetOnline, which is based in Panama. A brand manager there named Dave Mason said his company started offering Little League bets because he thought Kinley's story was so exciting. He added that the bets were capped at just $25 each to keep things small. Mason also said the site does not allow these bets to be combined with other bets for bigger payouts.

Not everyone agrees that this is okay, even if the bets are small. Michael Conforto, an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs who played in the Little League World Series back in 2004, said it does not feel right. 'It was just such a pure game, pure sport that anything with gambling, it just feels like shouldn't be happening on kids' games,' Conforto said. He believes that children's sports should be kept separate from the world of betting.

Little League International, the group that runs the tournament, has spoken out strongly against this kind of gambling. The organization released a statement saying there is 'no place for betting on Little League games and players or any youth sports competition.' It said the tournament is a place where kids learn teamwork, have fun, and play with honesty. The group added that no one should use children's wins or losses for personal gain.

The issue has even gotten the attention of U.S. lawmakers. Representative Kevin Kiley of California, who leads a House subcommittee on education, spoke out publicly against betting on youth sports. He said there is 'absolutely no place' for it and suggested that steps are being taken to try to stop it. Right now, 39 states plus Washington, D.C., allow some form of legal sports betting, but none of those legal sites offer bets on youth sports.

People who live in states where sports betting is not legal sometimes turn to offshore websites instead. Those sites can be hard for authorities to police because they often accept cryptocurrency, cash, or prepaid gift cards. Joe Maloney, the president of the Sports Betting Alliance, said the best fix is to make legal sports betting available in more places. He believes that would push illegal offshore sites out of the picture.

The championship game this year was played Sunday between teams from Willemstad, Curaçao, and Henderson, Nevada. Many people hope that by next year, action will be taken so young athletes can compete without gambling hanging over their games. As Conforto put it simply: 'There's so many things to gamble on. Why not just leave the kids out of it?'