Curaçao trounced Nevada to win this year’s Little League World Series (LLWS). And some viewers had money riding on the outcome. That has drawn the ire of a U.S. congressman.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) has asked U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to investigate offshore sportsbooks that allowed wagers on the annual youth baseball tournament.
Regulated sportsbooks and prediction markets in the U.S. don’t offer LLWS betting. That’s not the case with some offshore operators. BetOnline not only allows wagering on the tournament, which features 10-to 12-years-olds, it promotes it.
Kiley chairs the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on the House Committee on Education and Workforce. He’s pushing for a probe into what he sees as child exploitation by the offshore book.
“The systematic exploitation of children is a genuine concern to myself and the members of my committee,” Kiley wrote to Blanche and Bessent on Sept. 4. The letter was shared with USA Today.
“I’m reaching out today to request an investigation by your respective agencies so we can put an end to this obvious abuse, and if laws were broken, to secure swift prosecution of the offending parties.”
Big Betting Numbers
As the LLWS began in August, BetOnline promoted wagering on the tournament. This marked the sixth year in a row the site has allowed betting on the LLWS. The tournament includes teams from around the world. ESPN broadcasts it every year.
The sportsbook said wagering on the event was twice as much in 2025 as it was in 2024. The company said the LLWS draws more betting activity on some days than pro sports events.
“We offer Little League World Series odds because there’s a massive demand for it,” BetOnline Brand Manager Dave Mason said. “Our customers request these odds every year, and we’ll take more bets on the LLWS over the next two weeks than on established markets such as the WNBA, Major League Soccer, pro tennis, or golf.”
As the tournament got underway, the site offered futures wagering on the U.S. and international brackets. Bettors could also select whether an American or international team would win the championship.
BetOnline has also allowed wagering on other youth events. In 2024, the site offered odds on Texas high school football games.
Mason said large high school football operations can be big business. He said “offering odds at small limits is small time in comparison (to some other sports).”
Opposition Grows
Betting on the tournament has come with considerable opposition. In a social media post this year, LLWS officials affirmed the organization’s opposition to wagering on games involving children.
“Little League International stands by its statement first issued last year that there is no place for betting on Little League games and players or any youth sports competition,” the league posted.
“Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and no one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain.”
Kiley said the betting operator is skirting U.S. gaming laws.
“We have existing laws that may well be implicated as well, so that’s why we got the Department of Justice to look at it,” the congressman told USA Today. “I hope that they will undertake an investigation to see whether laws have been broken now, what tools they have to bring this process to an end, and if it’s found that there’s no existing legal authority or tools to stop it, then to work on appropriate legislation to provide that authority.”
The letter comes amid efforts in some states to target unregulated gaming operators. Michigan has been one of the most active. It sent cease-and-desist letters to 45 operators in April. That followed a similar effort in 2025 ordering 13 other offshore gaming sites to stop operating in the state.
The American Gaming Association affirms that betting on youth sports is illegal in the U.S.
