Some sportsbooks that take MLB bets are capping the amount that can be spent on certain types of bets, Major League Baseball announced Monday. The news comes one day after Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted in connection with a sports betting investigation by the Department of Justice.
In a press release, MLB said that it reached a deal with its sportsbook partners to cap wagers on certain kinds of bets at $200. Those small, pitch-level bets will also be excluded from parlays.
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The agreement will affect all sportsbooks authorized by MLB, which the league says encompasses more than 98% of the betting market in the U.S. MLB notes in the statement that pitch-level bets are more susceptible to manipulation by one player.
“Most prop bets present limited integrity risk because they take into account multiple events that are influenced by more than one actor. However, ‘micro-bet’ pitch-level markets (e.g., ball/strike; pitch velocity) 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 statement reads.
In the statement, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred added that the league has worked to protect the game’s integrity since sports betting was legalized in 2018. He thanked the betting industry for collaborating to “address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets.”
“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,” Manfred said.
Manfred also noted that the league had worked on the agreement with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has been publicly calling for regulation on micro-bets since Clase and Ortiz were first placed on leave. In the statement, DeWine commended Manfred, the league and the sportsbooks for reaching a solution.
“By limiting the ability to place large wagers on micro-prop bets, Major League Baseball is taking affirmative steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce the incentives to participate in improper betting schemes,” DeWine said. “I urge other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s example with similar action.”
Christian Genetski, the president of FanDuel — which is one of MLB’s official partners — said that the betting industry is “built on a foundation of dialogue” in the statement.
“This initiative illustrates our unwavering commitment to building a legal and regulated market that roots out abuses by those who seek to undermine fair competition and damage the integrity of the games we love,” Genetski said.
A spokesperson for DraftKings, the second-largest sportsbook in the country, told ESPN that the adjustment aimed to “further deter bad actors” in the sport. Fanatics, as another sportsbook affected by the change, echoed the sentiment.
“The legal sports betting market was designed to be collaborative with regulators, leagues and lawmakers in order to provide a safe betting experience for sports fans,” a Fanatics spokesperson said in a statement. “At Fanatics, we believe that addressing pitch level markets with Major League Baseball is a way to show that the legal market is working, as well as, a prudent step to protect the integrity of our national pastime.”
MLB’s change comes not long after a report that the NBA was reportedly looking into similar regulations on micro-bets, which came in the wake of a sweeping FBI gambling investigation that led to several arrests last month. The NBA had reportedly identified missed free throws, fouls and turnovers as vulnerable bets, with both FanDuel and DraftKings telling ESPN that they had agreed to follow the NBA’s request.
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Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz indicted after allegedly rigging pitch-level bets
MLB’s crackdown on micro-bets comes one day after Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz were indicted with a number of charges related to illegal betting, including conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy.
The DOJ’s 23-page indictment paints the picture of a scheme orchestrated by Clase in which the two pitchers deliberately threw certain pitches to rig bets in the favor of their co-conspirators. Prosecutors say Clase began participating in this scheme in 2023, while Ortiz joined this season.
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According to the indictment, the scheme primarily depended on the exact type of micro-bets that MLB is now capping. Clase, for example, is accused of agreeing to deliberately throw certain pitches, often on the first pitch of an at-bat, that his betting co-conspirators could wager on. The indictment includes multiple examples from as long ago as May 2023, attaching photos that show Clase’s pitches landing in the dirt or even the grass in front of home plate.
After allegedly joining the scheme, Ortiz was flagged by the league for throwing two suspicious pitches in June — both thrown well outside, both happening at the beginning of the inning. In both incidents, large amounts were placed on the outcome of the first pitch of the inning, i.e. whether it was a ball or a strike. Per the indictment, Ortiz and Clase received $5,000 each for the first pitch — Ortiz for throwing it, and Clase for facilitating it — and then $7,000 each for the second.
In total, prosecutors say that Clase and Ortiz’s co-conspirators made as much as $450,000 off of these rigged bets. One incident alone in April 2025 led several bettors to win around $15,000.
Now, though, MLB’s sportsbook partners will be capping the amount of money that can be placed on these bets in an attempt to take away the incentive for players to manipulate the game. The $200 cap will make the kinds of gains seen by these bettors impossible, at least for these specific types of bets.