Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League has benched and fined the players
Three pitchers from Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) have been suspended for participating in online gambling, including poker. The players — Guo Yu-yan, Chen Guan-hao, and Wu Yu-cheng of the TSG Hawks — were found to have played online Texas Hold’em, prompting swift disciplinary action from both the team and the league.
According to reports, Guo received the harshest punishment after being identified as the one who introduced his teammates to the poker site. He was handed a 10-game suspension and fined approximately $3,000.
Chen and Wu each received five-game suspensions and smaller fines of about $1,500. The CPBL stated that the incident had hurt the image of Taiwanese baseball and reminded all clubs to strengthen oversight and reinforce players’ professional conduct.
Both the CPBL and the TSG Hawks suggested that Taiyu Sports Agency may have played a role in influencing Guo to join the online games. The agency denied any involvement but said it would cooperate fully with any ongoing investigations. The league emphasized that online gambling of any kind, even recreational poker, is prohibited under its player code of conduct.
The episode highlights Taiwan’s strict stance on gambling, which is heavily restricted across the country. Even though online poker is a casual pastime in many parts of the world, the act is considered a serious violation under CPBL rules. The suspensions send a clear message that professional athletes in Taiwan are expected to maintain high standards both on and off the field.
While gambling-related suspensions are rare in the United States for poker alone, the issue remains a growing concern globally. The CPBL’s decision underscores the stark difference in how gambling is viewed across sports leagues and cultures, where even small infractions can carry major consequences for a player’s career and reputation.
