The Cleveland Guardians are the subject of a high-profile investigation by Major League Baseball, and the aftershocks of this investigation risk remolding the entire landscape of sports betting in the state. The scandal has already led to the team’s superstar closer, Emmanuel Clase, and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz being pulled from the active roster. The duo has been sent on “non-disciplinary paid leave” as the inquiry continues. Amid the controversy, Ohio’s Governor has called for a wide change as well.
The accusations are pretty serious. Betting-integrity firm IC360 flagged unusual gambling patterns in two of Luis Ortiz’s starts in June. The bets were a series of highly specific micro bets, and they were about whether Ortiz’s first pitch of an inning would be a ball or a hit-by-pitch. In both games, the pitches were said to have been thrown well outside the strike zone, raising the suspicion of spot fixing.
As far as Clase is concerned, no details of any allegation against him have been publicly confirmed, but reportedly, his leave is also related to that troubling investigation. It could not have come at a worse time for Cleveland. Clase, a three-time All-Star, had a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves in the 2025 season, while Ortiz posted a 4.36 ERA in 16 appearances.
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners Jun 15, 2025 Seattle, Washington, USA Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz 45 throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Seattle T-Mobile Park Washington USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexNicholsonx 20250615_jmn_sn8_026
The loss of Clase, their most valuable trade asset, just before the deadline, was a massive strategic hit for the Guardians. The investigation effectively froze his trade value, leaving the team in a difficult position, both on and off the field. And this controversy has now reached the highest office in the state. The Ohio Governor Mike DeWine now wants the Ohio Casino Control Commission to outlaw all sports proposition bets in the state, including MLB, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, the WNBA, and MLS.
DeWine, in a sharply worded statement, said, “The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass. First, there were threats on Ohio athletes, and now two high-profile Ohio professional athletes have been suspended by Major League Baseball as part of a ‘sports betting investigation.”
Continuing further, the governor added, “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”
This isn’t the first time Ohio has tackled the issue of prop betting. The governor’s current stance is built on a clear precedent. Shortly after sports betting was legalized in early 2023, basketball players from the University of Dayton were threatened and harassed by bettors who had lost money on player-specific wagers. This terrifying incident prompted swift action from DeWine and NCAA President Charlie Baker.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission didn’t waste any time taking its cue. In February 2024, it prohibited all individual player prop bets for college sports. The announcement was made in the interest of the health and welfare of all the student-athletes. At the time, professional sports were specifically exempted from the rule change.
But is Ohio’s proposed remedy a silver bullet or a shot in the dark? And just how hard is it to impose a complete prohibition on sports betting today?
The high hurdles of a total ban
Implementing a full ban in Ohio presents a minefield of challenges. The greatest challenge is the black market. The fact that a popular product like prop bets is banned in the legal market won’t make the demand disappear. It is also likely to push consumers to unregulated, offshore sites, which makes the identification process harder because these sites don’t have any integrity checking capabilities. So, the very system that caught the suspicious betting in the Guardian’s case would be rendered useless.
And there’s the economic fallout to take into account. Ohioans wagered nearly $8.9 billion on sports in 2024, 15.9 percent more than the nearly $7.7 billion they bet the previous year of legalized sports betting, 2023, and generated $180.8 million in tax revenue. Professional prop bets — particularly in the NFL — represent a meaningful chunk of that market. To do away with them would be to deprive the state of a vast portion of its revenue.
According to Steve Bittenbender, an analyst and writer with BetOhio.com, “Most people, when they win a big bet or have a nice little run, they’ll go out to eat or they’ll splurge on something. It’s not going to be money that they’ll keep under their mattress. It’ll be money that they recirculate into the local economy.”
And then there are the leagues themselves – the real and final irony. MLB has had tie-ups with MGM Resorts and FanDuel. The Cleveland Guardians even made a sponsorship deal with the sportsbook Bet365. So, this deep financial entanglement has put the league in an incredibly difficult position. What’s your take on this?
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