2 hours ago
1
Major League Baseball is making some changes on the heels of the indictment of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.
On Monday, MLB announced that it is working with all authorized gaming operators to limit bets on pitch-level markets to $200 in the wake of the hurlers being accused of influencing the outcome of micro-bets to help bettors win thousands of dollars.
These bets will also be excluded from parlays going forward, as MLB and the sportsbooks attempt to assuage concerns that these particular markets can be manipulated for illegal betting purposes.
“Most prop bets present limited integrity risk because they take into account multiple events that are influenced by more than one actor,” the statement read. “However, ‘micro-bet’ pitch-level markets (e.g., ball/strike; pitch velocity) present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game.”
The indictment accuses Clase of working with bettors and giving them information on his pitches in exchange for money going back to 2023. Ortiz, who appeared in court in Boston on Monday, is accused of joining in on the scheme this season. He denied the claims in a statement through his lawyer on Sunday.
Clase is not yet in custody.
The two men are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy and could each face up to 65 years in prison if convicted.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz exits federal court after being indicted for his alleged role in a betting scheme. REUTERSMLB commissioner Rob Manfred added in the statement that his top priority is maintaining the integrity of the game.
“Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, Major League Baseball has continuously worked with industry and regulatory stakeholders across the country to uphold our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” Manfred said.
MLB isn’t only league facing questions surrounding its integrity, specifically around prop betting. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested and charged with allegedly influencing the outcome of his prop bets during a game in 2023 while he was a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
The bombshell scandal reportedly has the NBA working with sportsbooks to see which types of bets are most vulnerable to exploitation by players and staff around the league. So far, the NBA has identified three types of micro-bets — missed free throws, fouls and turnovers — that it believes sportsbooks should not offer.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who has been a vocal opponent against prop betting, urged other leagues to follow MLB in limiting prop bets in their respective sports. DeWine was instrumental in getting prop bets on college sports banned in Ohio in 2024.
This summer, he pushed for prop bets to be removed from the list of legal bets Ohio could offer after news of the investigation into Clase and Ortiz became public.
“The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm,” DeWine said in July. “The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly.”
Whether MLB’s limit on pitching markets will do enough to mitigate future improper betting scandals remains to be seen.
English (US)