Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on July 6. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

One United States Politician is Seeking to Change Sports Betting as Result of Guardians Scandal

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 8:56 AM ET

According to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Ohio governor Mike DeWine is working to change the way sports gambling works in the country. This comes in the wake of Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase being investigated for his role in a sports betting situation, and that follows teammate Luis L. Ortiz also being investigated.

DeWine is asking leagues to consider a ban on prop betting.

“The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass,” DeWine said in a statement. “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."

MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' mind-boggling fire sale shook baseball https://t.co/6XgRhIg96P
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2025

We also saw NBA player Jontay Porter, who had been playing with the Toronto Raptors, banned for life over his role in a prop-betting situation.

Raptors' Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating league's gaming rules. pic.twitter.com/QHDiGHnPYG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2024

As gambling has become legalized in most states, and as the leagues have embraced the revenue generated from gambling companies, the lines have certainly been blurred, causing issues for players and leagues.

While gambling on your own sport is illegal, some will argue that the constant exposure to gambling is bound to trip up at least a handful of players and thus far, it has.

It will be interesting to see how DeWine's proposal develops and how it is received by the leagues themselves, who need to balance integrity of the games with the revenue generated.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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