Sports Betting Crisis Deepens as Major League Pitchers Indicted for Bet-Rigging Schemes

There is no letup in the number of sports betting scandals, and it may not be for long that the integrity of any game can go without question.The latest bombshell fell on Sunday when federal prosecutors in Brooklyn indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on several charges related to an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in Major League games.Filed in the Eastern District of New York, the indictment details an alleged scheme where the pitchers took bribes from sports bettors in their native Dominican Republic for information about when they would intentionally throw balls outside the strike zone. Prosecutors allege Mr. Clase began the practice in May 2023 and later included Mr. Ortiz.Prosecutors claim Mr. Ortiz, who earned a base salary of $782,600 in 2025, allegedly was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball on June 15, while Mr. Clase, who is paid $4.5 million a season, took $5,000 to facilitate it. They earned $7,000 each, according to the indictment, for doing the same on June 27.According to various reports, Mr. Ortiz, arrested in Boston early Sunday, is expected to appear in federal court on Monday. Both pitchers have been on non-disciplinary leave since July when the league began investigating unusually high in-game betting activity when they pitched.The players are charged with wire fraud, conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. They could face up to 65 years in prison, if convicted on all charges.“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the league said in a statement. “We are aware of the indictment and arrest and our investigation is ongoing.”The two MLB pitchers are the latest in a growing list of professional and college athletes, staff and administrators under investigation for improprieties in sports betting.Their indictment comes less than two weeks after Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was arrested for tipping off bettors about his playing availability, and former NBA player Damon Jones was arrested for sharing information about Lebron Jones’ playing availability. Chauncey Billups, an NBA Hall of Famer and head coach of the Portland Trailblazers, was also arrested for his involvement in illegal high-stakes poker games with alleged ties to organized crime.NBA officials reportedly met recently with members of a Congressional committee to discuss the league’s approach to sports betting and its partnership with sports books. The NBA has said it is reviewing its rules for reporting injuries to make them stricter and disclosed earlier to limit the potential for inside information.College sports have also been stained. The NCAA Committee on Infractions recently alleged six former college basketball players manipulated games in 2024-2025 and/or shared information with bettors. Cedquavious Hunter, Dyuquavian Short and Jamond Vincent played for the University of New Orleans. Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic were at Mississippi Valley and Chatton “BJ” Freeman attended Arizona State. The cases were not related, and the players are no longer enrolled at those schools.They face permanent ineligibility by the NCAA, but no criminal charges have been filed. Text messages discussing receiving $5,000, FaceTime calls with a known bettor, and conversations about throwing a game were uncovered during the investigation.“All three cases involved lack of cooperation by student-athletes, who knowingly provided false or misleading information to investigators,” the NCAA said in a release. “As a result, the sports betting violations, student-athletes all violated ethical conduct rules, triggering permanent ineligibility.”Even the UFC is undergoing a federal gambling investigation. Isaac Dulgarian was released by the MMA promotional company after his first-round submission loss last week in a fight where he was favored. Unusual betting activity was flagged after the 7-2 favorite suffered the stunning loss. UFC president Dana White confirmed he met with the FBI about the matter.

Sports Betting Crisis Deepens as Major League Pitchers Indicted for Bet-Rigging Schemes

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