Major League Baseball has announced that its approved betting partners will limit wagers on individual pitches to $200 US and will not allow them to be included in combination bets, following the recent scandal involving two Cleveland Guardians players who were accused of manipulating pitches for gamblers. The league stated on Monday that the restrictions were established in collaboration with sportsbook operators representing over 98% of the U.S. betting market.
According to MLB, bets placed on specific pitch outcomes, such as pitch velocity and balls and strikes, pose a higher risk to the integrity of the game as they are based on isolated events influenced by individual players and may not impact the overall game result significantly. By implementing these new measures, MLB aims to significantly reduce the potential for misconduct in pitch-level betting markets.
Pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz from the Cleveland Guardians were indicted on charges of accepting bribes from sports bettors to manipulate their pitching performances. The indictments include allegations of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests through bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, with penalties that could result in up to 20 years of imprisonment.
Both players have denied the accusations, with Ortiz’s lawyer emphasizing his innocence and commitment to fair play, while Clase’s legal representative stated that he is innocent and eager to clear his name in court. The legal actions against the players come in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, opening the doors for states to legalize sports betting.
Ortiz recently appeared in federal court in Boston and was granted release under certain conditions, including surrendering his passport, limiting travel to the Northeast, posting a $500,000 US bond (with $50,000 secured), and refraining from contact with potential case-related individuals. Clase, on the other hand, is believed to be outside the U.S., as per an anonymous law enforcement official.
The indictments revealed that Ortiz and Clase allegedly accepted payments to assist gamblers in the Dominican Republic in winning significant amounts through bets placed on specific pitch outcomes, including ones intentionally aimed to fail. Both players have been on paid leave since July when MLB detected suspicious betting activity during games they participated in earlier in the season.
MLB has cooperated with federal authorities in the investigation, expressing its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game. The Cleveland Guardians also pledged full cooperation with the ongoing investigations. The recent developments involving the players are part of a broader crackdown on illegal betting activities in professional sports, echoing similar incidents in the NBA where multiple individuals, including high-profile figures like coaches and players, were arrested in a significant gambling sweep last month.