The recent scandal involving the Cleveland Guardians has highlighted the vulnerability of betting on individual pitches in MLB. Federal prosecutors accuse Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of collaborating with bettors to manipulate results and generate millions in fraudulent profits. According to the Department of Justice, the players agreed on the type of pitches they would make, facilitating bets on balls, strikes and pitch speed.
In response, MLB and its sports betting partners have established a new national limit of $200 for individual pitch bets, in addition to banning parlays of this type. Rob Manfred, the league’s commissioner, said:
I commend the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these markets at launch, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity issues
Changes in sports betting to protect the integrity of the game
FanDuel and DraftKings, the main betting companies associated with MLB, adjusted their menus to avoid manipulation or fraud, measures that seek to prevent bettors from colluding with players, something that Mike DeWine considers a serious risk:
By limiting the ability to place large bets on micro-bets, Major League Baseball is taking concrete steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce incentives to engage in illicit betting schemes
These actions taken by MLB immediately in the wake of the scandal with Clase and Ortiz seek to establish a national standard to prevent it from happening again in the future and to ensure that fans can trust the transparency of the matchups.
Impact on players and legal repercussions after scandal with Clase and Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were placed on paid leave in July while the investigations are ongoing. In his defense, Ortiz has stated that he “looks forward to being able to fight in court against these charges”.
Clase, meanwhile, faces charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering, after prosecutors documented communications in which he was seen coordinating with bettors.
This pattern has not only been seen in MLB, but also in the NBA and college basketball, which have recently been investigated and sanctioned for gambling manipulation, so the relevant Major League Baseball authorities have already taken action, prioritizing changes in legal gambling to prevent it from happening in the future.
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