MLB keeping ‘vigilant’ when it comes to sports gambling: Rob Manfred

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the league has been “really vigilant” in regards to sports gambling amid the fallout of the sweeping NBA scandal.

“We didn’t ask to have legalized sports betting,” Manfred told reporters ahead of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, according to ESPN. “It kind of came, and that’s the environment in which we operate.

“Now we don’t have a lot of choice about that, and if it’s going to change — broadly change — probably the only way it would happen is the federal government.”

The Commissioner added that the league’s “No. 1 priority is to protect the integrity of the game” as questions directed toward the major sports leagues stemmed from the NBA scandal — which has resulted in the arrests of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former player Damon Jones.

Manfred’s comments come as Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are under investigation by the MLB after a betting integrity company flagged suspicious bets regarding their play back in June.

As a result of Clase and Ortiz’s indefinite suspensions, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for banning microbets — which was allegedly the case with the Guardians pitchers — with the MLB working with him on the matter.

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“The most important thing that we can do is make sure that we have systems in place that give us access to data, which puts you in a position to determine if there’s something aberrational going on,” Manfred said. “I think then when you get that, you need to conduct a thorough investigation, make sure that you understand exactly what caused that aberration. And then you need to discipline.”

Despite the MLB “going as fast as they can” on finishing the investigation into Clase and Ortiz, Manfred said he does not expect it to be complete in the near future.

The MLB has investigated into players for sports gambling matters before, having issued a lifetime ban to Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, along with dishing out one-year suspensions to four other players for violating the league’s barring of betting on baseball.

The league also fired umpire Pat Hoberg back in February for violating MLB’s gambling rules.

Manfred also defended MLB’s deals with betting companies, saying that having a close partnership with places that can provide data on abnormalities is essential in policing the gambling landscape.

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“Once you’re in that environment where sports betting is happening, the crucial issue is access to data,” Manfred said. “That means you have to have a relationship with the sportsbooks.

“Like most relationships, if you want something from them, you need to give something back to them. And that’s where those relationships come from.”