Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, announced Monday that his panel has opened a probe into the betting scandal engulfing Major League Baseball.
In a Friday letter, Cruz and Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, the panel's ranking Democrat, pressed MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred about what they called an "integrity crisis" following criminal indictments of Cleveland Guardian pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz tied to alleged betting schemes.
"Both players allegedly told friends of their plan and to place prop bets beforehand. Clase allegedly even made some bets himself. Perhaps most shockingly, this scheme lasted more than two years before MLB found out," the senators wrote.
They went on, "The integrity of the game is paramount. MLB has every interest in ensuring baseball is free from influence and manipulation. As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, we share that interest. But in light of these recent developments, MLB must clearly demonstrate how it is meeting its responsibility to safeguard America's pastime."
The senators pressed Manfred to disclose when the league first learned of the alleged misconduct involving Clase and Ortiz and to provide all relevant documents outlining MLB's betting rules, oversight procedures, and any other gambling-related investigations conducted since Jan. 1, 2020.
The committee asked for all material by Dec. 5.
Last week, the league announced new safeguards after talks with its sportsbook partners, including a $200 cap on all pitch-by-pitch wagers and a prohibition on bundling pitch-level bets into parlays.
MLB said the changes are intended to limit potential payouts and reduce the incentive for manipulating individual pitches.
The congressional committee made a similar request to the NBA in October, asking how it dealt with the alleged gambling scheme that resulted in indictments of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, ex-player and coach Damon Jones, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
"An isolated incident of game rigging might be dismissed as an aberration, but the emergence of manipulation across multiple leagues suggests a deeper, systemic vulnerability. These developments warrant thorough scrutiny by Congress before misconduct issues become more widespread," Cruz and Cantwell wrote to Manfred.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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