Latest news with #LuisOrtiz
Axios
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Axios
Sports gambling scandals raise concerns over game integrity
The major sports leagues are confronting a potentially costly reality in sports gambling: If you embrace it, problems will come. Why it matters: Recent investigations of pro baseball and basketball stars have raised fears about the integrity of sports, and whether certain plays, or even whole games, are being manipulated. Driving the news: One of Major League Baseball's star relief pitchers this week became the latest athlete to be ensnared in a sports gambling scandal. State of play: For decades, the major sports leagues spurned betting in part because of fears it would invite questions about the integrity of the game. But since the Supreme Court overturned the effective federal ban on sports betting in 2018, more than half of U.S. states have legalized it — and the major sports have embraced it, creating a windfall for leagues, players, media, sportsbooks and state governments. Americans legally bet about $150 billion on sports in 2024, driving a 24.8% increase in revenue for the industry compared with a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Threat level: Easy mobile access to legal betting is leading to growing suspicions of players conspiring with gamblers to fix outcomes. Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31 "while MLB continues its sports betting investigation," the league said in a statement. He's the second Guardians pitcher to be placed on leave as the MLB examines gambling this year, joining starter Luis Ortiz. Efforts to reach both players through the Guardians and the Major League Baseball Players Association were unsuccessful. They have not been accused of any wrongdoing. The scrutiny comes after former NBA player Jontay Porter was accused of disclosing confidential information about his health to a bettor and then limiting his participation in a game — information the league claimed was used to bet against him. Porter was banned from the NBA and later pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with the scandal. The NBA did not respond to a request for comment. The risk for the leagues is that fans start to tune out, leading to lower ratings, merchandise sales and ticket revenue, says Erik Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan. "None of the major sports leagues wants to be viewed by the public the way the public used to view staged television wrestling," Gordon says. "They want the games to be viewed as honest games with players trying their best." Inside the room: State policymakers are weighing a crackdown. In sports gambling hotbed New Jersey, for example, state lawmaker Dan Hutchison introduced a bill last week that would ban "microbets" — that is, live wagers on individual plays. That could include balls and strikes in baseball games — the category of bets that social media sleuths have flagged as a potential issue with Clase and Ortiz. "We're likely to see more calls for regulation in this space," gaming law expert Stephen Piepgrass, partner at law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, tells Axios. Gambling industry consultant Dustin Gouker said the advent of regulated sportsbooks has made it easier for authorities to flag irregular activity that otherwise might've stayed in the shadows via illegal offshore betting apps. "Do we need to be able to bet on what the next pitch is, whether it's a ball or strike? Arguably, not," Gouker, of Closing Line Consulting, tells Axios. "But if you start banning lots of things that are in game and make the product worse, you're going to send that offshore." "Bad actors are going to be bad actors," but " we have companies and sportsbooks working together to make sure that if something untoward is happening in the market, we find out," Gouker says. While professional athletes are richly compensated, they are just as susceptible as the public to problem gambling, says Richard Daynard, president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sports betting integrity firms on search for red flags as investigation continues into two Guardian pitchers
As the MLB investigation continues in the sports betting probe into Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, fans are stunned by the reversal of fortunes it means for their team.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Guardians' pitcher placed on leave over MLB investigation
The post Guardians' pitcher placed on leave over MLB investigation appeared first on ClutchPoints. Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave due to an ongoing investigation by MLB. The Guardians released a statement once the news was announced. 'The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league's confidential investigative process,' the statement reads. The situation is confidential at the moment. It is uncertain as to what Ortiz is being investigated about. Updates will be provided on the situation as they are made available. Ortiz, 26, pitched in Pittsburgh with the Pirates from 2022-2024 before joining the Guardians for the '25 campaign. Through 16 starts, the right-handed pitcher has recorded a 4.36 ERA. He has also struck out 96 hitters across 88.2 innings of work. Ortiz was expected to start on Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs. Given the news, however, Joey Cantillo will draw the start instead, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The Guardians are 40-44 overall up to this point in the season. Cleveland is 12.5 games back of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central division. The Guardians have not performed up to their expectations, but they still could make a run at an AL Wild Card position. Cleveland will be an interesting team to monitor ahead of the trade deadline. Perhaps the Guardians will buy and attempt to make a postseason run. However, they may be forced to sell with a bad July. It is worth mentioning that star closer Emmanuel Clase is a trade candidate. For now, the Guardians will place their focus on Thursday night's game against the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 PM EST at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Related: Why Guardians' Luis Ortiz is under investigation
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How the Emmanuel Clase investigation differs from past betting scandals
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down the Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz betting investigation and discuss how it differs from past MLB gambling scandals, such as the one involving Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Hear the full conversation on the 'Baseball Bar-B-Cast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript We have another gambling scandal, as Guardian's closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on the restricted list as part of an ongoing investigation that included his still teammate Luis Ortiz, and this is really bad. What happened to IA, where he was just a constant bet button versus a pitcher allegedly deciding to purposefully throw balls in order to make money, in my opinion on face with the information we have now, those are two very different dynamics that need to be discussed differently, or else you're kind of oversimplifying and whitewashing the specific nuances of each situation. I think we should give our audience more credit to assume that they can distinguish the difference, because also, one of the number one things that happened with all the tiny stuff is that for all the gambling that EPay was doing on college soccer, all of the federal investigation did not at any point reveal that there was gambling on baseball. That is a big difference than the people throwing the baseball pitches being connected to bets being placed about. Size of the amounts, again, that is what we are interpreting with the RT situation and in all likelihood the Clase situation as well. But the big picture thing, regardless of how it relates to other scandals, the optics remain horrific and troubling. And if micro bets continue to be something that are a temptation for people who are a part of the game, which is unfortunately extremely predictable, then that that. That is what MLB does get for getting this far into this, you know, in some sense. Uh, but at the same time, still that doesn't absolve the responsibility of these players who are breaking the number one rule, right? This is the thing that you cannot do. You can go bet on all the other sports all you want, but this is the one thing you can't be involved in. Yeah. And a lot of them do bet on all the other sports, and that's fine, right? I do think that the micro bets, that dynamic. It is important to understand here within the specific context of baseball. I can bet on every single pitch in any baseball game or what. Two hundred fifty, three hundred fifty individual pitches and moments that I can, you know, press bet. Like, that's huge compared to football, there are more moments that have a relatively low impact on the outcome of a game. A player, allegedly Luis Ortiz, will say, oh, I'll just throw a ball. It's not gonna impact the outcome of the game, that's fine. Ball one, oop, 20k, right? And so, we're in a more vulnerable spot as a sport because of how we're structured. Close
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Live game updates as Cleveland continues homestand
CLEVELAND — The Guardians probably can't have a worse day than they had July 28. So on that note, Cleveland faces the Colorado Rockies July 29 at Progressive Field with the trade deadline looming. The Guardians were informed by MLB that Emmanuel Clase would also be put on paid leave through Aug. 31 as the league continues its investigation into gambling and sports betting. Luis Ortiz is also involved. Then, the Guardians lost to the Colorado Rockies after Cade Smith blew a save chance in a game that began with a 2.5-hour rain delay. Follow along here as the Guardians take on the Rockies July 29 at Progressive Field. Below is some pregame information. Guardians lineup vs Rockies Steven Kwan, LF Daniel Schneemann, 2B Jose Ramirez, 3B Kyle Manzardo, DH Gabriel Arias, SS Nolan Jones, RF David Fry, DH Bo Naylor, C Brayan Rocchio, 2B MLB Standings: American League Central The American League Central Division standings entering July 29: Tigers 62-46 Guardians 52-54 (9) Royals 52-55 (9.5) Twins 51-55 (10) White Sox 39-68 (22.5) Guardians schedule | Upcoming games The Guardians and Rockies play a three-game series beginning July 28 before the Minnesota Twins will face Cleveland in a three-game AL Central series beginning Aug. 1. The Guardians then hit the road on road trips to face the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox. How can I watch, stream or listen to the Guardians vs Rockies game? The game on July 29 can be viewed locally on AT&T U-verse (channel 1736), COX (channel 80), DIRECTV Satellite and Streaming (channel 662), FuboTV and Spectrum (channel 1306). It can also be streamed via MLB's direct-to-consumer streaming subscription ( And it'll be available on the radio via WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7 and WARF 1350. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians game score, lineup today vs Rockies live updates, highlights
