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Read Full BioOhio Governor Mike DeWine has called for a ban on prop bets after two investigations into Cleveland Guardians pitchers over suspicious betting activity.
News 5 Cleveland reports that DeWine will ask sports commissioners and labor unions from the six major pro sports to support the ban on prop betting to “ensure the integrity of their leagues.”
DeWine stated: “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.’”
“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.”
Suspicious Betting Activity Triggered MLB Probe
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was suspended this week by the MLB, which followed the suspension of fellow pitcher Luis Ortiz last month.
The details of Clase’s suspension are not yet widely known, but Ortiz was suspended over unusual betting activity on two pitches during games in June. Industry watchdog IC360 cited unusual betting amounts on both pitches in sportsbook accounts in New York, New Jersey and Ohio.
The pitches, one against the Mariners on June 15 and the other against the Cardinals on June 27, both missed the strike zone by a wide margin.
College Prop Bets Banned After Rise in Player Abuse
DeWine previously endorsed a ban on prop bets on college sports, which the Ohio Casino Control Commission introduced in February last year.
The ban followed reports that student-athletes at the University of Dayton received abusive messages and unsolicited Venmo payment requests from peers who had lost prop bets related to their performance, such as missing free throws.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has urged states to ban the bets in college sports, stating: “The horrific messages we are seeing across online platforms is absolutely unacceptable. Angry fans are sending numerous abusive messages and threats to student-athletes, publicly and privately, because of lost bets placed on the athlete’s performance in a game.”
Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and more than 10 other states have bans in place on college sports prop bets.
Pro Athletes Face Death Threats ‘Five Days a Week’
Professional athletes have also faced similar abuse. In May, Lance McCullers Jr. and his family received death threats from what turned out to be an intoxicated overseas bettor.
Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe reported similar abuse, commenting: “‘Kill yourself’ shows up pretty often.” He added that those kinds of messages are there “five days a week.”
However, Lowe admitted that players had expected this on social media since the legalization of sports betting in 2018.
He added: “That’s just what you kind of sign up for, and that’s what gambling has brought into the game.”
New Jersey lawmakers have also proposed a ban on micro bets, citing the abuse of athletes, a higher possibility of spot fixing, and increased risk of addiction for users due to the fast-paced nature of those bets.
