MLB announces new gambling safeguards after 2 Guardians were indicted in betting scandal

By David Close, Kevin Dotson, CNN

(CNN) — A day after two Major League Baseball pitchers were indicted for allegedly participating in a scheme to rig bets on MLB games, the league announced it has worked with partner sportsbooks to limit prop bets on pitches thrown.

“Effective immediately, all MLB Authorized Gaming Operators will cap wagers on pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays,” MLB said in a statement.

The cap will restrict the amount wagered on individual pitches before they are delivered – ball, strike and pitch velocity – while banning parlaying each pitch result during a game.

CNN has asked the league whether the new “micro-bet” restriction was a response to accusations that Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz rigged pitches while playing.

MLB commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said in a statement Monday that he commended “the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns.”

Clase and Ortiz face charges on multiple counts of wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, money laundering conspiracy and more, according to prosecutors on Sunday.

Both Clase and Ortiz have maintained their innocence through their lawyers.

“There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning,” Ortiz’s attorney Chris Georgalis told CNN in an email on Sunday. “Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court.”

Clase’s attorney, Michael J. Ferrara, also told CNN that his client is “innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Both players have been placed on non-disciplinary leave during the 2025 MLB season in relation to a sports betting probe.

Ortiz appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday. According to the Associated Press, US Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell released Ortiz on a $500,000 bond, mandated that the 26-year-old relinquish his passport, and restricted his travel to the local area, among other stipulations.

CNN has reached out to the court for details.

The indictment alleges “the defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators on specific pitches that they would throw in MLB games. The co-conspirators then used that information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets on those pitches.”

Clase’s involvement in the scheme is alleged to have started in 2023. The three-time All-Star coordinated with corrupt sports bettors to rig proposition bets on particular pitches he would throw, prosecutors say.

The bettors would then wager on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches, based on information they received in advance from Clase, sometimes even during games, per the indictment.

The DOJ says bettors won at least $400,000 using inside information on Clase’s pitches.

Ortiz is accused of joining the enterprise in 2025, working alongside Clase to coordinate with bettors on rigged pitches he would throw.

Prosecutors allege Ortiz was paid a total of $12,000 to intentionally throw a ball instead of a strike in two MLB games. Clase allegedly received matching payments for his role in helping to arrange Ortiz’s rigged pitches, the feds say, with gamblers winning at least $60,000 in the process.

The indictment, which was filed on Wednesday and unsealed Sunday, comes on the heels of a series of similar indictments involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones.

The trio was arrested in October in relation to two separate federal gambling investigations, one involving rigged high-stakes poker games and the other involving insider trading in sports betting.

Both the MLB and NBA cases are being handled by Nocella’s Brooklyn office.

If convicted of all charges, Clase and Ortiz could potentially face decades behind bars.

CNN’s Amanda Musa contributed to this report.

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