Some major sportsbooks have made changes to crack down on sports betting manipulation in response to the Emmanuel Clase scandal.
MLB announced on Monday that DraftKings and FanDuel, two approved partner sportsbooks for MLB, have agreed to cap betting on individual thrown pitches at $200. Wagering on a thrown pitch in an MLB game is considered a “micro-proposition bet,” whereas wagering on a team to win a full game or championship would be more of a standard wager. The ability to wager on such small events within games opens up the possibility for more manipulation, as allegedly occurred with Clase.
Clase and his fellow Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz have been indicted on charges for fraud, conspiracy and bribery. The pitchers allegedly conspired with two sports bettors who would wager that they would throw certain pitches — usually to begin an inning — as balls. In one case, their efforts were spoiled by another player who was not in on the fix.
Sports will continue to be connected to these scandals now that sports betting has been legalized in so many states. But limiting how much money can be wagered on items that can so easily be manipulated — such as a single thrown pitch — can help mitigate things. It should be questioned why thousands of dollars were allowed to be wagered on single pitches in the first place.
As usually is the case, the alleged criminals have been caught in the end.
