CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Betting scandals have rocked the sports world in recent months. Federal probes have targeted suspected pitch-rigging in professional baseball, mafia poker games in the NBA and now, a points-shaving scheme in men\u2019s college basketball. <\/p>\n
The FBI led all three probes, which involve so-called prop bets — not on who wins or loses, but on specific acts, like how fast a pitcher throws a certain pitch, how a player will perform or the halftime score. <\/p>\n
The scope of the probes is nationwide, but the cases all feature Northeast Ohio connections. <\/p>\n
Guardians pitchers accused of fixing pitches <\/p>\n
One case involves Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase<\/a> and teammate Luis Ortiz, who are accused of secretly coordinating with gamblers from 2023 to 2025 to throw rigged pitches \u2014 a scheme that earned bettors roughly $450,000 and paid the pitchers bribes and kickbacks.<\/p>\n Clase, who was approaching the franchise\u2019s saves record, gave bettors advance notice of what pitch he would throw, allowing them to place micro\u2011bets on pitch speed or whether the pitch would be a ball, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors say he repeatedly met with a bettor at his Cleveland home to coordinate the fixes and sometimes used a cellphone from the bullpen during games \u2014 a violation of MLB rules.<\/p>\n Ortiz, acquired by the Guardians before the 2025 season, is accused of joining the scheme in June. Prosecutors say he deliberately threw balls on specific pitches in two games.<\/p>\n Both have pleaded not guilty. Clase\u2019s defense attorneys have said in recent filings that prosecutors misinterpreted text messages between Clase and one bettor, saying they were actually about cockfighting<\/a>, house repairs or horses, and not coded language about betting on baseball. <\/p>\n NBA betting scheme includes Terry Rozier <\/p>\n