Moundball

Moundball is a side-betting game typically played by spectators sitting in the bleachers at Major League Baseball games.^[1][2][3] It is often played to pass the time during slow games.^[4] At the start of the game, each player places their ante into a plastic cup or hat; the kitty is then passed to the next person at each half inning.^[1][5] The game is turn-based, with the goal of having the ball remain on the mound at the end of a player's half-inning turn, in order to win and collect all the money in the kitty.^[1][2]

The Chicago Cubs conduct a sweepstakes during every home game at Wrigley Field. Only season ticket holders are eligible to participate. In between the third and fourth inning of every Chicago Cubs home game, the home plate umpire rolls a baseball toward the pitching mound. If the baseball stays within the dirt of the pitcher’s mound, the potential winner, selected prior to the beginning of the game, will be contacted. If the baseball rolls from the mound to the grass, the prize money of $1,000 will be added to the winnings for the next Chicago Cubs home game.^[6]