On Monday, Major League Baseball (MLB) revealed it will impose limits on specific types of sports bets following the indictments of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers involved in a scheme to manipulate games for monetary gain.
This initiative is designed to safeguard the sport’s integrity and address problematic betting behaviors.
Per the new regulations, “pitch-level markets” will be limited to a maximum wager of $200 and will not be included in parlays at any MLB-sanctioned sportsbooks. The bets Cleveland relievers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are claimed to have influenced involve substantial sums totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As stated by MLB, these changes will impact sportsbooks comprising 98% of the nation’s gambling markets.
Effective immediately, all MLB Authorized Gaming Operators will restrict wagers on pitch-level markets to a maximum of $200 and will exclude these bets from parlays, according to the league’s announcement.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred characterized the new limits as a protective measure “aimed at reducing integrity risks and preserving the transparency and data access advantages offered by a regulated betting market.”
Clase and Ortiz are facing numerous federal accusations, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, attempts to influence sporting events through bribery, and conspiracy to launder money, as detailed by prosecutors. Both athletes have asserted their innocence.
“There’s no credible evidence that Luis did anything other than aim to win games, every pitch, every inning,” Ortiz’s lawyer Chris Georgalis mentioned in a statement to CNN. “Luis is eager to contest these charges in court.”
Clase’s attorney, Michael J. Ferrara, confirmed that his client is “innocent of all allegations and looks forward to exonerating himself in court.”
Currently, both players have been placed on non-disciplinary leave for the 2025 MLB season while the investigation surrounding sports betting is underway. Ortiz appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell released him on a $500,000 bond, restricting his travel to the local area and requiring him to surrender his passport, as reported by the Associated Press.
The indictment alleges that the pitchers conspired with accomplices to pre-determine pitches in MLB matches, enabling individuals to place fraudulent wagers. Clase reportedly began his involvement in 2023, while Ortiz is accused of joining the scheme in 2025.
Prosecutors claim Clase coordinated with bettors to manipulate proposition bets, leading to winnings of up to $400,000, while Ortiz allegedly accepted $12,000 for deliberately throwing specific pitches, resulting in bettors winning $60,000.
This indictment comes in the wake of a series of federal gambling investigations within professional sports, including the arrests of NBA figures Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones last October. The MLB and NBA inquiries are being overseen by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn.
If found guilty on all counts, Clase and Ortiz could face substantial prison sentences spanning decades.