Ohio sports betting agency teams up with MLB for investigation into Guardians’ Luis Ortiz, Emmanuel Clase

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are being investigated by Major League Baseball over their alleged involvement in a gambling scandal.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission, the agency responsible for overseeing sports gambling in the state, has joined the investigation, assisting MLB in uncovering the details of the scandal.

The scandal came to light last month after a betting integrity firm flagged betting on pitches and notified MLB. The agency from Ohio also investigated irregular wagering activities involving the University of Alabama's baseball team in 2023.

“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,’” Gov. Mike DeWine said.

“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."

Luis Ortiz was placed on the restricted list on July 3 after two of his pitches had higher betting activity. Emmanuel Clase was placed on administrative leave on July 28 for similar reasons.

Guardians insider reports on Ohio state's involvement in Clase, Ortiz's MLB investigation

Guardians insider Paul Hoynes weighed in on the matter in an episode of the "Cleveland Baseball Talk" Podcast. Hoynes wondered about the involvement of the Ohio Casino Control Commission in the investigation.

"I’m not sure how [the Ohio Casino Control Commission] were tipped off on this,” Hoynes said. “Their investigators found irregularities in the betting habits because the bets that MLB was investigating came from Ohio, New Jersey and New York regarding Ortiz especially and Clase."

The involvement of state regulators could result in strict punishment for the Guardians pitchers if they are found guilty of any wrongdoing.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash