MLB, sportsbook partners announce limits on pitch-level wagers

Major League Baseball has created new safeguards to limit pitch-level betting markets, according to a league release issued Monday.

The new measures, which are effective immediately and made with MLB’s sportsbook partners, will cap wagers on the so-called “micro-bet,” pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays. The safeguards will be implemented across sportsbook operators that represent more than 98 percent of the U.S. betting market and, per the release, “are intended to mitigate integrity risks and maintain the transparency and data access benefits that the regulated sports betting market provides.”

“Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, Major League Baseball has continuously worked with industry and regulatory stakeholders across the country to uphold our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

“I commend Ohio Governor [Mike] DeWine for his leadership on this issue over the last several months. 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. We look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders, including licensed sports betting operators, elected officials and regulators, to ensure we are always protecting the integrity of our game.”

On Sunday, ESPN first reported that pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz were indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn, N.Y., on charges related to an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. The two are accused of throwing specific pitches for balls so that gamblers could place prop bets and profit.

Pitch-level markets, which can include bets on balls vs. strikes or pitch velocity, present heightened integrity risks because they focus on specific, one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of a game. 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.

These new measures were taken to further reduce the incentive for players to engage in misconduct. MLB’s Rule 21 calls for players, umpires or club/league officials or employees who bet on a baseball game in which they have a duty to perform to be placed on the permanently ineligible list.

With Clase and Ortiz having pitched for the Cleveland Guardians this past season, Governor DeWine had been outspoken about the dangers of micro-bets.

“By limiting the ability to place large wagers on micro-prop bets, Major League Baseball is taking affirmative steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce the incentives to participate in improper betting schemes,” DeWine said in a statement. “I urge other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s example with similar action.”

Christian Genetski, president of FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of MLB, also released a statement.

“The legalized sports betting industry is built on a foundation of dialogue and collaboration with our league partners and the states in which we operate,” Genetski said. “This initiative illustrates our unwavering commitment to building a legal and regulated market that roots out abuses by those who seek to undermine fair competition and damage the integrity of the games we love.”