The world of professional sports has been rocked by a series of betting scandals in recent weeks, with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) both facing intense scrutiny over the integrity of their games. At the heart of the controversy are allegations that players and coaches in both leagues used inside information to manipulate outcomes for the benefit of gamblers, raising fresh concerns about the relationship between pro sports and the booming online betting industry.
The most explosive revelations have come from MLB, where two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, stand accused of rigging pitches to help gamblers cash in on so-called "prop" or "micro" bets. According to federal indictments filed in early November 2025, Clase and Ortiz allegedly conspired with bettors from their native Dominican Republic to throw specific types of pitches—including intentionally tossing balls into the dirt—in exchange for bribes. The scheme reportedly generated at least $450,000 in illicit winnings for their co-conspirators, with Clase alone allegedly netting $400,000 over two years by signaling his intended pitches in advance.
Prosecutors allege that Clase recruited Ortiz in June 2025, with both players accepting $12,000 bribes for Ortiz to throw predetermined pitches in two separate games. Wagers on Ortiz’s pitches alone are said to have racked up around $60,000 in fraudulent gambling profits. The pair have denied all charges and, if convicted, could each face up to 65 years in prison. Both are currently on nondisciplinary paid leave, having been sidelined since July 2025 when MLB began investigating after noticing unusually high levels of in-game betting activity during games that spring.
These revelations have prompted a swift response from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who announced that the league would cooperate fully with a U.S. Senate committee investigating the scandal. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, representing the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, requested all relevant documents by December 5, 2025. Manfred assured that MLB would "respond fully and cooperatively and on time," emphasizing the league’s commitment to transparency as it navigates this crisis.
"The ability to discern inappropriate patterns is really, really important," Manfred told reporters during the recent owners meetings in New York. "We understood the prop bet issue from the very beginning. I’m glad we’ve done something about it." He pointed to recent changes in MLB’s betting policy, noting that the league—together with its betting partners—has now capped prop bets on individual pitches at $200 and banned them from being included in parlays. "We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays off them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way," Manfred said.
Despite these measures, Manfred indicated that MLB does not anticipate implementing further restrictions on prop bets at this time. He stressed that monitoring betting activity remains central to the league’s relationship with sportsbooks, a stance echoed by many industry experts who believe that the current regulatory framework—combined with swift action against accused players—demonstrates that the system for detecting gambling irregularities is working. Still, the scandal has sparked debate about whether prop bets should be eliminated entirely to protect the integrity of the game.
The rise of micro-betting—enabled by the speed and connectivity of the internet—has fundamentally changed the landscape of sports gambling. Unlike traditional wagers on final scores or outcomes, prop bets allow gamblers to place dozens of bets on individual plays or player performances within a single game. This creates new opportunities for fraud, as individual athletes can manipulate the outcome of a single bet without resorting to the more obvious act of throwing an entire game. As author Jonathan Cohen, who has written extensively on sports gambling, told PBS, "It’s sort of an unnecessary crisis of their own making. With a little bit more foresight [and] a little bit less greed, they wouldn’t have had this problem in the first place."
MLB is not alone in facing these challenges. The NBA has also been swept up in scandal, with Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones indicted for allegedly using confidential information to help accomplices place illegal sports bets. Rozier is accused of profiting from micro-bets on his own performance after faking an injury and leaving a game early, while Jones and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups—believed to be "Co-Conspirator 8"—allegedly used their fame to lure wealthy individuals to mob-rigged poker games. Billups is further accused of disclosing his team’s plan to throw a game against the Chicago Bulls. Both Rozier and Billups have been placed on leave by the NBA, and their legal battles are ongoing. Rozier’s lawyer maintains his client’s innocence, stating, "Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight."
The involvement of major sports leagues in promoting and partnering with online sportsbooks has come under fire in the wake of these scandals. Companies like FanDuel and DraftKings—official partners of both MLB and the NBA—made nearly $3.5 billion off Americans in the third quarter of 2024 alone, according to the American Gaming Association. Critics argue that these partnerships have created fertile ground for corruption, as leagues chase lucrative sponsorship deals while exposing their athletes and fans to the risks of gambling addiction and fraud.
For now, the legal process continues to unfold. Both Clase and Ortiz are due back in court on December 2, 2025, with their futures in professional baseball hanging in the balance. MLB has placed both players on administrative leave through the remainder of their careers, pending the outcome of legal proceedings. The league’s own investigation remains ongoing, with Manfred vowing to take the necessary time to ensure a thorough review. "The business has great momentum right now," Manfred noted, alluding to a successful season that saw massive viewership and a dramatic World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Yet, as the league approaches collective bargaining negotiations set for December 2026, the shadow of the betting scandal looms large.
As professional sports continue to grapple with the challenges of legalized gambling, the recent scandals serve as a stark reminder of the vigilance required to maintain the trust of fans. The coming weeks will determine whether MLB and the NBA can restore confidence in the integrity of their games—or whether the lure of easy money will continue to test the limits of fair play.
