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11/11 08:05 CST MLB, sportsbooks cap bets on individual pitches in response to
pitch-rigging scandal
MLB, sportsbooks cap bets on individual pitches in response to pitch-rigging
scandal
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
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 players were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the
behest of gamblers.
MLB said Monday the limits were agreed to by sportsbook operators representing
more than 98% of the U.S. betting market. The league said in a statement that
pitch-level bets on outcomes of pitch velocity and of balls and strikes
"present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that
can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome
of the game."
"The risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this
new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct," the league said.
"The creation of a strict bet limit on this type of bet, and the ban on
parlaying them, reduces the payout for these markets and the ability to
circumvent the new limit."
MLB said the agreement included 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 Street and Underdog.
Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday in U.S.
District Court in Brooklyn on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to
throw certain types of pitches. They were charged with wire fraud conspiracy,
honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting
contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. 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 pitches, including some that
landed in the dirt.
Ortiz's lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement that his client was
innocent and "has never, and would never, improperly influence a game --- not
for anyone and not for anything." A lawyer for Clase, Michael J. Ferrara, said
his client "has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power
to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to
clearing his name in court."
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports
Protection 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 granted Ortiz his release on the condition he surrender his passport,
restrict his travel to the Northeast U.S. and post a $500,000 bond, $50,000 of
it secured. Ortiz was ordered to avoid contact with anyone who could be viewed
as a victim, witness or co-defendant.
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 a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that
authorities said rigged poker games backed by Mafia families and leaked inside
information about NBA athletes.
Billups' attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement denying the allegations.
Rozier's lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement his client is "not a gambler"
and "looks forward to winning this fight."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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