The world of professional baseball has been rocked by a high-profile gambling scandal that stretches from the Dominican Republic to the heart of Major League Baseball. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz now find themselves at the center of a federal investigation, accused of accepting bribes from sports gamblers in their native Dominican Republic to manipulate the outcome of pitches and help bettors rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars. The case, which burst into the public eye with a federal indictment unsealed in New York on November 9, 2025, has not only cast a shadow over the players involved but also ignited a broader debate about the pervasive influence of gambling in Dominican baseball culture.
According to prosecutors, Clase and Ortiz allegedly conspired with unnamed sports bettors to rig specific pitches, resulting in at least $460,000 in winnings for those placing the bets. The indictment alleges that Clase began providing inside information about his pitching in 2023, escalating to direct payoffs earlier this year. The accusations claim that he would often throw the rigged pitch on the first pitch of an at-bat, intentionally sending the ball into the dirt and outside the strike zone to ensure the umpire called it a ball. In one particularly brazen instance, prosecutors say Clase spoke by phone with a bettor just before taking the mound during an April 2025 game against the Boston Red Sox. Minutes later, the bettor and his associates won $11,000 after wagering that Clase would throw a pitch slower than 97.95 mph.
Both Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time American League Reliever of the Year, was arrested on November 13, 2025, at John F. Kennedy Airport after arriving from the Dominican Republic. He appeared in Brooklyn federal court dressed in a dark blazer and jeans, speaking only to answer the judge’s routine questions through a Spanish interpreter. Released on $600,000 bond, Clase surrendered his passport, agreed to limit his travel to New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling, and submit to GPS monitoring. Ortiz, his Guardians teammate, entered his not guilty plea a day earlier. Both are scheduled to appear in court again on December 2, 2025.
Clase’s attorney, Michael Ferrara, emphasized his client’s cooperation with authorities, stating, “His actions speak louder than words. He poses no risk of flight. He intends to stay through this.” Ferrara also stressed Clase’s commitment to the sport: “Emmanuel Clase has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win.” Chris Georgalis, representing Ortiz, has similarly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that all payments between Ortiz and individuals in the Dominican Republic were for legal activities.
The charges leveled against the two pitchers are serious. Both face counts of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The most severe charges carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison. While the legal process unfolds, both players remain on non-disciplinary paid leave, a status they’ve held since July 2025 when MLB first began investigating unusual betting activity during their appearances on the mound.
The scandal has sent shockwaves through the Dominican Republic, a nation where baseball is more than just a sport—it’s a cornerstone of national identity. The country boasts approximately 3,500 registered legal betting shops, with countless illegal operations thriving in the shadows. Raymond Jiménez, a self-described frequent gambler, summed up the local attitude: “I don’t know of any illegal betting shops. I choose the biggest and closest businesses that allow big wagers, regardless of whether they’re legal or not.” Jiménez, who’s been betting since he was 14, added, “I’ve heard everything, from athletes who sell themselves to gamblers to others who bet against them.”
While legal gambling is widespread, the illegal side of the industry is massive—and, as recent events show, deeply intertwined with officialdom. In late October 2025, Oscar Chalas, the Dominican Republic’s former director of casinos and gambling, admitted in court to collecting monthly payments from illegal betting shops to allow them to continue operating. Chalas said each illegal shop paid up to $100 a month and claimed there were so many shops he couldn’t remember the total amount collected. He further alleged that a former treasury minister knew and approved of the scheme, a revelation that has only deepened concerns about corruption and oversight.
Efforts to regulate the betting industry have faced significant obstacles. Quico Tabar, head of the national lottery, recently acknowledged in a public letter that officials have struggled for years to bring order to the sector, citing “circumstances beyond our control.” Legislators are currently debating a bill that would create a new regulatory body and establish stricter penalties for non-compliance, but progress has been slow. Meanwhile, the buzz surrounding the Clase and Ortiz cases continues to dominate headlines and social media, fueling public debate about the integrity of the sport and the future of gambling in the country.
Baseball’s entanglement with gambling isn’t limited to the dark corners of illegal betting shops. High-profile public wagers are part of the fabric of Dominican baseball culture. Earlier in 2025, Hall of Famer and former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz made waves by offering fans a 1 million peso (approximately $16,000) bet on social media, backing the team that ultimately won the Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League championship. Ortiz’s total bets reportedly reached 15 million pesos (about $240,000), including a notable 2 million peso wager with Dominican singer Bulin 47. After winning, Ortiz famously forgave Bulin 47’s debt, quipping, “You’re good to those who are poor.”
The timing of the scandal couldn’t be more significant. With the Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League final scheduled for early 2026, betting activity—both legal and illegal—is expected to surge. The government’s ability to restore public trust and ensure the integrity of the game will be tested as fans, players, and officials grapple with the fallout from the Clase and Ortiz indictments.
The impact of this case extends far beyond the Dominican Republic. In the wake of the indictments, Major League Baseball has announced new restrictions on betting involving individual pitches, aiming to curb the risk of similar scandals in the future. The charges against Clase and Ortiz follow a string of gambling controversies in American sports, including recent arrests in a sweeping gambling probe involving NBA insiders and Mafia-backed poker games.
As the legal proceedings move forward, the baseball world watches closely. Will stricter regulations and heightened scrutiny be enough to protect the integrity of the sport? For now, all eyes remain on the upcoming court dates and the broader efforts to clean up a game loved by millions on both sides of the Caribbean.
