M.L.B. Bans Individual Pitch Bets Following Gambling Charges

Major League Baseball said that its betting industry partners will restrict this particular type of wager, which the league claims is more susceptible to manipulation, the day after two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were accused of arranging rigged bets on individual pitches.

A new $200 cap on wagers on individual pitches is one of the adjustments that will be applied to all of the sportsbooks that make up almost the entire legal sports betting market in the United States. Additionally, they will forbid pitches from being included in parlay bets, which combine wagers for longer odds but a bigger possible return.

In a statement, M.L.B. commissioner Rob Manfred called these modifications “a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns.”

“We look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders, including licensed sports betting operators, elected officials, and regulators, to ensure we are always protecting the integrity of our game,” he continued.

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In response to growing concerns about game integrity following federal prosecutions for illicit gambling schemes, it was the first real, if limited, modification to American sports gambling. Because anything may happen, accusations of M.L.B. and N.B.A. players manipulating their game performances to set up fraudulent bets have raised new questions about the integrity of the games that Americans adore.

Pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians were accused on Sunday of giving bettors exclusive knowledge about their pitches, which they then exploited to win hundreds of thousands of dollars on online gambling sites. Both Mr. Clase’s and Mr. Ortiz’s attorneys claimed that their clients were innocent.

According to the accusation, Mr. Clase and Mr. Ortiz coordinated with gamblers prior to games to throw particular pitch types and speeds. According to authorities, these pitches were occasionally included in parlay bets.

After M.L.B. started looking into strange wagers on their pitches, both players were put on paid vacation in July. Following the start of the inquiry, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged the state’s regulators and sports leagues to outlaw “proposition bets,” which are wagers on events or player performances that aren’t directly related to the result of a game.

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