Days after two Major League Baseball pitchers were indicted over allegations of pitch manipulation for the purposes of betting, the league and its partner sportsbooks want everyone to know that they are taking the lead on trying to tighten the reins on certain prop bets.
The league announced on Monday that its authorized betting operators will no longer take wagers of more than $200 on pitch-level markets in any U.S. state. Those kinds of “micro” bets, such as whether the next pitch is a ball or a strike or the speed of a certain pitch, will also be ineligible for inclusion in parlays.
MLB’s authorized sportsbook partners include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, bet365 and more. MLB said that cohort represents more than 98% of the regulated U.S. betting market. MLB said the new measures are intended to mitigate the integrity risks around single-pitch betting and to maintain the transparency that the regulated sports betting market provides.
MLB acts after Guardians furor
MLB announced the measures just days after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment in which Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz were charged with multiple crimes for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme that involved them altering individual pitches in order to win bets.
“Most prop bets present limited integrity risk because they take into account multiple events that are influenced by more than one actor,” said the league in Monday’s statement. “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 risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct. The creation of a strict bet limit on this type of bet, and the ban on parlaying them, reduces the payout for these markets and the ability to circumvent the new limit.”
MLB commissioner and Ohio governor high-five
In the wake of that Guardians scandal coming to light this summer, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to ban such “micro bets” because of the threat he argued they pose to sporting integrity. DeWine said in late October that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had intimated that the league was working on action itself.
“I commend Ohio Governor DeWine for his leadership on this issue over the last several months,” said Manfred in Monday’s release. “I also commend the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns.”
In return, DeWine praised Manfred and MLB’s partners for taking “affirmative steps” to protect the integrity of the game and reduce the incentives to participate in improper betting schemes. DeWine urged other sports leagues to follow MLB’s example.
The NBA has worked with sportsbooks before on limiting betting markets; back in October 2024, some sportsbooks agreed to stop offering ‘under’ prop bets on NBA players on two-way or 10-day contracts after Jontay Porter, a two-way-contracted Toronto Raptors player, was banned for life for game manipulation related to betting.
Sportsbooks readily agree
FanDuel President Christian Genetski said in MLB’s release that the move to limit pitch-level wagers illustrates the U.S. sports betting market leader’s “unwavering commitment” to rooting out abuses and integrity threats.
DraftKings, Fanatics and BetMGM each confirmed to SBC Americas that they have made the change.
“Recent events across professional sports demonstrate that the legal, regulated sports betting industry is working as intended — promoting transparency, accountability, and protecting the integrity of sport,” said a DraftKings spokesperson. “In collaboration with Major League Baseball, we have adjusted certain bet types to further deter bad actors while helping maintain fairness and trust in the game.”
“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,” added a rep at Fanatics. “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.”
“We support this action by the MLB and continue to uphold strict reporting obligations through our various league partnerships,” said a BetMGM spokesperson. “As the Commissioner’s office noted, sports integrity is a priority within the legal, regulated sports betting space.”
Will this go far enough?
Curbing betting on micro markets such as the outcome of the next pitch is an idea that has been floated by more people than just Manfred and DeWine in recent months. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, for one, suggested that such markets are “too easy” to manipulate.
Whether this move to limit pitch-level bets will go far enough in the eyes of some remains to be seen. DeWine initially called for the OCCC to implement a complete ban on all player props when news broke of the Guardians. SBC Americas contacted the OCCC for comment.
Meanwhile, a bill filed recently in New Jersey would outright ban live prop bets placed in-play on the next action in a sporting event.
