Sports Betting Sites / Play / Ohio Governor Calls for Ban on Prop Bets Following Guardians' Gambling Investigation

Ohio Governor Calls for Ban on Prop Bets Following Guardians' Gambling Investigation

Sports Writer

Publish Date: Aug 01, 2025

Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli

Governor Mike DeWine has urged the Ohio Casino Control Commission to ban prob bets in his state following a scandal that involves not one, but two Cleveland Guardians' pitchers.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have both been suspended pending an investigation by Major League Baseball allegedly regarding suspicious performances in regards to prop bets.

luis L ortiz cleveland guardians vs philadelphia phillies

Ortiz was suspended on July 18, and Clase joined him on that restricted list on July 28. The decisions shook up the Guardians, who could have potentially traded one or both of the pitchers at the MLB trade deadline, which was yesterday.

DeWine cited several incidents for his concerns, including a scheme in 2023 that threatened student- athletes at the University of Dayton.

"The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass," the governor said in a written statement to the OCCC. "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 ‘legal 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."

Prop bets are odds issued on specific in-game performances by an athlete. For example, how many points scored by a basketball player, or the number of touchdown catches for a wide receiver in a single game.

But it's not those types of prop bets that are at the heart of the alleged misconduct by Ortiz and Clase of the Guardians.

So-called micro-bets are allegedly what the two Cleveland pitchers are in hot water over. A micro-bet is a single in-game wager that is placed live while the contest is underway. In the case of Ortiz and Clase it seems to be the "first pitch of the inning result" prop bet that is in question. Bettors in Ohio can wager on whether a first pitch in an inning will be a ball or a strike.

American Gaming Association says bans don't work

Not everyone believes bans on sports betting are wise. American Gaming Association Senior Vice-President of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney pointed out the risks in allowing illegal operators to fill the vacuum left by banning betting activity.

"Prohibition doesn’t stop betting — it stops oversight. Illegal operators won’t honor bans, won’t partner with leagues, and won’t protect players or fans," Maloney said in a statement. "The most effective path forward is education and deterrence: making sure every athlete knows the rules, understands the risks, and recognizes that if they compromise the game’s integrity, the legal market will catch it."

In spite of concerns from watch groups like the AGA, in 2024 Ohio removed prop bets on college game from its wagering catalog. That was largely in response to threats made toward Dayton athletes from bettors who lost prop wagers. Head to our Ballislife Play section for all the latest updates.

Play

NCAA Implements ProhiBet for NCAA Division I Championships

Selection Sunday for both the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments is five days away and the NCAA on Tuesday took significant action to strengthen transparency and integrity for each game that will be played. The governing body for college sports announced they will be utilizing Las Vegas-based Integrity Compliance ...

by Lou Monaco

Mar 10, 2026