Major League โBaseball and several sportsbooks are limiting or suspending bets on specific โpitcher โฃprops following federal charges โagainst โคthree baseball players โคaccused of conspiring to fix gamesโฃ forโข gambling purposes.The Justice โฃDepartment announced โขcharges Tuesday โagainst pitchers Michael Kaprielian, โJose Rodriguez, and Jay Jackson,โ alleging they provided inside data โฃtoโฃ an illegal sports betting operation in exchange for payouts.The crackdownโ comes as โsports betting continues to rapidly expand across the United States, โraising concerns about the integrity โขof โคgames. โWhile pitch-specific betting has gained popularity, the alleged scheme highlights vulnerabilities within the system and prompted immediate actionโ fromโ operators like โคDraftKings and FanDuel, who have โคtemporarily disabled those markets.โ The โฃcase underscores theโฃ ongoing โฃbattleโค to safeguard the fairness of competitionโฃ in professional sportsโ amid the growing influence of legalized gambling.
Kaprielian,a pitcher for the Losโข Angeles Angels,Rodriguez,a โformer โpitcherโค in the New โคYork Yankees organization,and Jackson,a relief pitcher currently with the Chicago Cubs,are accused of sharing confidential information about pitching changes and game outcomes with a New Jersey-based illegal gambling operation.According to the Justice Department,the players โขreceived payments ranging from $10,000โ to over โ$50,000 for their involvement.
The examination revealed that โขthe players allegedly provided information that allowed the gambling operation to place bets on the โtotal number of strikeouts a pitcher would record in โขa game – a popularโ prop bet among sports bettors. The scheme reportedly took place during the 2023 MLB season.
DraftKings โconfirmed it hadโฃ suspended betting on MLB pitcher props, โstating it wasโ doing โฃso “out โขofโข an abundance of caution.” FanDuel followed suit,announcing a similar suspension.BetMGM also stated โคit was reviewingโค the situation and taking appropriate steps.
“We are aware of โขthe allegations and are cooperating fully with the authorities,” a โขDraftKingsโค spokesperson said in a statement. “The integrity of our games is our top priority, and we will โฃtake all necessary steps โขto protect it.”
The Justice departments investigation is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge in the coming days. The MLB โhas also launched its own investigationโ intoโ theโ matter.โข Theโ league stated it was “deeply troubled” by theโ allegations and would fully cooperate with lawโ enforcement.Theโ charges carry โขaโข maximum sentence of โขfiveโฃ years in prison. Theโค case โserves โคas a stark reminder of the potential for corruption in sports betting andโค the need for continuedโข vigilance to protect the integrity of the game.
