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MLS Issues Two 'Lifetime Bans' For Sports Betting
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- MLS Issues Two 'Lifetime Bans' For Sports Betting
Major League Soccer announced on Monday two lifetime bans for players caught sports gambling.
The North American soccer league announced on Monday that two players, Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah , have been banned for life. Neither are currently under contract with MLS organizations.
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Jones and Yeboah were both put on administrative leave by the league in October of 2025. Jones, who was playing for the Columbus Crew , and Yeboah, who most recently played for LAFC and previously played for Columbus with Jones, were found to have violated league rules.
The two MLS players were found to have bet on games, including their own, which is in strict violation of league bylaws.
MLS retained the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP to conduct an investigation and found that the two players "engaged in extensive gambling on soccer, including on their own teams, during the 2024 and 2025 seasons."
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"Major League Soccer remains steadfast in its commitment to match integrity," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "The league will continue to enforce its policies, enhance education efforts, and advocate for the elimination of yellow card wagering in all states to protect the integrity of our competition for clubs, players, and fans."
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 26: a soccer ball with the MLS logo on it sits on a stand before the third round of the Lamar U.S. Open Cup between the Columbus Crew and the Indy Eleven on April 26, 2023, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
MLS has been working with states and betting apps to eliminate types of bets that could be easy to manipulate.
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"MLS has worked with jurisdictions that allow betting to remove yellow and red cards as part of betting opportunities. Those efforts have been successful. There are 52 total jurisdictions and, of those, 41 allow betting. Thirty-three of those jurisdictions do not allow cards, and 15 of those changed rules after outreach from the league, an MLS spokesperson said," The Athletic reported.
MLS also has all of its players go through training that includes information about the gambling policies.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
