The chair of a Congressional subcommittee that has held two hearings about private equity’s influence in youth sports says he will look into the practice of adults gambling on the Little League World Series.
“I think this is deeply troubling and perhaps it’s something that does merit further action by our committee,” Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, an independent who chairs the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
.“I’m certainly open to exploring any and all angles.”
Kiley was speaking via phone to USA TODAY Sports after we shared statements made by the brand manager of an offshore sportsbook last week that more users are betting on a Little League matchup between teams from South Korea and Canada than on some Major League Baseball games.
According to the statement, there is "massive demand" for Little League World Series betting at offshore sportsbooks that are not beholden to U.S. sportsbook regulations and customer protections.
Little League, which is hosting its annual world series from Aug. 19-30 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, has issued a statement two years in a row denouncing betting on its games.
“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,” this year’s statement reads. “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.”
Which gambling operators are taking bets on the Little League World Series?
Betting on Little League or youth sports is illegal in the U.S., according to the American Gaming Association, but offshore sportsbooks and casinos aren’t subject to state gambling regulations. According to a 2025 AGA press release, Americans wager a total of $673.6 billion annually “with illegal and unregulated gambling operators.”
"No licensed sportsbooks offer bets on youth sports. If a bet is placed on the Little League World Series, it is through an illegal sportsbook or 'prediction market' preying on consumers and exploiting youth sports," the AGA told USA TODAY Sports in a statement. "The AGA continues to advocate for law enforcement to take action against these illegal, offshore operators and protect American consumers."
What can Congress do about betting on the Little League World Series and youth sports?
Kiley’s subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held hearings in December and July on private equity’s growing influence and privatization of youth sports.
Democrats also introduced the Let Kids Play Act in May, which seeks to end “vulture practices,” such as requiring that families stay at specific hotels for kids sports tournaments. The bill hasn’t passed.
"Potentially, I think that, in a sense, it's connected to the hearings we've had on the increasing cost and decreasing accessibility of youth sports if we see this sort of professionalization of what were once community-based offerings, where sports is becoming more and more exclusive," Kiley tells USA TODAY Sports. "And then kind of at the ultimate extreme, you have it become an object of gambling. I guess the unifying thread is that both represent a marked departure from what youth sports is really supposed to be about, which is giving all kids the opportunity to play, to learn sportsmanship, to learn tremendous habits and teamwork and other skills that will benefit them throughout their lives."
Kiley says his subcommittee could potentially hold a hearing about how U.S. lawmakers could address betting on youth sports.
“I think that it does get complicated when you have this extraterritorial dimension to it, but we are talking about the American Little League World Series, an American institution that is deeply connected to essentially every community in this country," he said. "And this idea that the institution is being infiltrated by high stakes gambling I find to be deeply disturbing and something that I think we should try to do whatever we can to stop it.
"It's certainly something that we're gonna look into and see what we can do with it."
He says his committee could bring the AGA into the hearing.
"I think that we would want to hear from anyone who has enabled this and anyone who has the capacity to stop it," he said.
What can be done to stop betting on youth sports and underage betting?
According to Casino.org, the legalized gambling age in most states is 18 or 21.
USA TODAY reported in February that thousands of underage bettors are caught making unauthorized bets annually by legalized sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel.
“These platforms have become kind of more ubiquitous, and certainly if we're talking about something that crosses state lines and implicates interstate commerce, it's something that Congress has some jurisdiction over," Kiley said. "I know states have been dealing with the issue in different ways, trying to safeguard minors from accessing the platforms."
Kiley didn’t commit to a timetable for a hearing on betting on youth sports or underage gambling. However, he said everyone can bring attention to the issues and assure that individuals in policymaking roles are aware.
"I think they're both very problematic," Kiley said. "I think when it comes to this betting, you're sort of commodifying something that we view as really special and sacred. And that has the effect of potentially tarnishing the institution, the experience for everyone if it goes too far. So I think we need to do whatever we can to nip that in the bud. I also think that you don't want young kids to be developing bad habits when it comes to gambling, which, of course, can lead to addiction and all sorts of other problems.
"And so I do think there is certainly an obligation on the part of the platforms, which is in law in most if not all states, to put in place the sort of verifiable age restrictions that will assure that only consenting adults are participating."
The AGA, in its “Guide to Protect Regulatory Standards,” says gaming regulators can also "use their position to highlight specific offshore operators’ non-compliance with their state laws and issue cease and desist orders to these entities."
The issue of betting on youth sports now has Congress’ attention, too.
"It’s something that I'm definitely interested in looking into and seeing if there's something that we can do to try to, at the very least, bring attention to it and hopefully to bring it to a stop," Kiley said.
Contributing: Danielle Lerner
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Little League World Series betting 'deeply troubling': House committee chair
