MLB, sportsbooks cap individual pitch bets after arrests

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Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians were charged with rigging pitches at the direction of players.

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MLB said Monday that the limits were agreed upon by sports betting operators representing more than 98% of the U.S. betting market. The league said in a statement that field-level betting on the results of pitches, balls and strikes “poses an increased risk to fairness because it focuses on one-time events that can be determined by a single player and may not be significant to the outcome of the game.”

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“Risk in these markets will be significantly reduced by these new actions designed to incentivize misconduct,” the league said. “Creating a strict betting limit on this type of bet and prohibiting its use reduces payouts in these markets and the ability to bypass the new limit.”

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MLB said the agreement includes Bally's, Bet365, BetMGM, Bet99, Betr, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings, 888, FanDuel, Gamewise, Hard Rock, Intralot, Jack Entertainment, Mojo, Northstar Gaming, Oaklawn, Penn, Pointsbet, Potawatomi, Rush Steet and Underdog.

Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged Sunday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn with accepting bribes from sports bettors to make certain types of pitches. They were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to influence athletic competition through bribery and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment says they helped two unnamed gamblers in the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of certain courses, including ones that hit the dirt.

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Ortiz's lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement that his client is innocent and “will never, ever, unduly influence the game – for anyone or anything.” Klaz's attorney, Michael J. Ferrara, said his client “dedicated his life to baseball and did everything in his power to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and hopes to clear his name in court.”

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the Professional and Amateur Sports Act of 1992 was unconstitutional, allowing states to legalize sports betting.

Ortiz appeared Monday in federal court in Boston. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell released Ortiz on the condition that he surrender his passport, limit his travel to the northeastern United States and post $500,000 bail, of which $50,000 would be secured. Ortiz was ordered to avoid contact with anyone who could be considered a victim, witness or co-defendant.

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Last month, more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in the dismantling of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities say rigged poker games backed by mob families and leaked inside information about NBA athletes.

Billups' attorney, Chris Haywood, issued a statement denying the allegations. Rozier's attorney, Jim Trusty, said in a statement that his client is “not a gambler” and “hopes to win this fight.”

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