Do you want to argue? If the bet includes Shohei OhtaniPlayers answered “yes” more often than any other player in any sport last year, according to BetMGM.
When betting on game outcomes in 2025, bettors were most likely to bet on NFL games. However, when betting on individual athletes, bettors were betting the most on Ohtani, a two-way World Cup superstar. World Series Champion Dodgers and National League Most Valuable Player. Saquon Barkleyrunning back for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, finishing second.
This data Only BetMGM bets that involved individual players were taken into account – sometimes on awards such as MVP, the spokesman said, but most often on bets determined by individual achievements.
As an example from another bookmaker, Caesars Sports offers the following: World Series Betting for Ohtani: Would he have hit the first home run? Complete at least seven races? Collect at least 10 hits? Hit a home run 470 feet? Hit at least five home runs? Deal a crushing blow? Hit two home runs and strike out 10 batters in one game? Strike out 20 batters in a series? (Ohtani did none of these eight things.)
According to BetMGM, the most popular major league players besides Ohtani were sluggers: Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees came in second, followed by Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cal Raley of the Seattle Mariners, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Allie De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, Riley Green of the Detroit Tigers and Bryce Harper of the Phillies.
However, the biggest bets in MLB last year were on pitchers, not hitters.
In November, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Claeys and Luis Ortiz were indicted on federal charges that they “rigged pitches”—that is, they advised players on whether they would throw a pitch outside the strike zone in certain situations and how hard they would throw it. Prosecutors say bettors won hundreds of thousands of dollars for themselves and paid Clase and Ortiz thousands of dollars for their help.
The pitchers have pleaded not guilty and the trial is scheduled for May. Prosecutors told the court last month that Clase, a three-time All-Star, likely faces 87 to 108 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, meaning up to nine years old – if he is found guilty of each of the four counts.
Pitchers also face a lifetime ban from baseball. Claeys, 27, has a $6 million contract this year; The Guardians have a $10 million option for 2027 and another for 2028. Investors who pooled their money to back him in exchange for a percentage of his career earnings, risk losing their investment.
The types of bets on Claise and Ortiz may become even less popular next season.
The day after Clase and Ortiz were indicted, Major League Baseball announced an agreement with sportsbook operators to limit such pitching bets to $200. The operators represent “more than 98% of the U.S. betting market,” according to MLB.
In its statement, the league noted that most bets are influenced by more than just one person — meaning whether Ohtani hits a home run depends largely on how it is pitched.
“However, field-level ‘micro-betting’ markets (e.g., ball/strike; pitch rate) pose increased integrity risks because they focus on one-time events that can be determined by a single player and may not be material to the outcome of the game,” the league said in a statement. “Risk in these markets will be significantly reduced by this new action aimed at incentivizing misconduct.”
