DeWine Backs MLB Betting Approach After Pitching Scandal
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has voiced support for MLB’s restrictions on so-called “microprop” wagers, softening his previous position. The shift comes as two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, face federal charges for allegedly fixing bets on individual pitches.
Back in August, Gov. DeWine called for a ban on all prop bets after investigations into the Guardians’ pitchers were launched for game manipulation. At the time, he urged the Ohio Casino Control Commission to ban all types of prop betting.
Yet following MLB’s announcement of new limits on microprop bets, which include prohibiting wagers on individual pitches, capping bets at $200, and banning these bets from being used in parlays, Gov. DeWine has taken a more moderate tone.
Speaking earlier this week, DeWine said that MLB’s action was a step in the right direction toward preserving the integrity of professional sports and added that the state would continue to monitor enforcement of these restrictions in the Ohio sports betting market.
“The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm,” DeWine said. “The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”
The league’s new rules, agreed to by gambling companies that make up 98% of the US sports betting market, including the best sports betting sites, were unveiled shortly after Clase and Ortiz were indicted.
Guardians pitchers face federal indictments
The indictment of Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz is related to an alleged pitch-fixing scheme that prosecutors say netted more than $450,000 in illicit gambling profits.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the two players conspired with bettors to influence the outcomes of specific pitches, sometimes agreeing to throw a ball or adjust pitch speed, in exchange for bribes.
Both face charges including wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, and could face up to 65 years in jail. Prosecutors say that Clase began the scheme in May 2023, while Ortiz joined in June 2025. Text messages appear to show Clase communicating with bettors during games. In one instance, bettors allegedly won $68,000 on a single manipulated pitch.
Ortiz was arrested in Boston and released on a $500,000 bond, but Clase remains outside the US and has yet to be arrested. Both men, however, deny wrongdoing. Ortiz’s attorney said that the government’s case was weak and insubstantial and insisted that this client has never improperly influenced a game.
However, speaking about the charges, US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. stated that the case was one of fundamental importance to the integrity of the sport.
“Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us,” he said.
The scandal marks the latest in a string of gambling-related controversies across US sports, intensifying scrutiny of legalized betting’s growing influence.
