Guardians' Luis Ortiz subject of gambling investigation

[fulltritty]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...n-placed-leave

Sources said betting-integrity firm IC360 sent an alert in June to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz, whom MLB has placed on "non-disciplinary paid leave" through July 17.

The alert, according to sources who reviewed it, referenced action on Ortiz's first pitches in select innings to be a ball or a hit batsman in two games: June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In both the bottom of the second inning against the Mariners and the top of the third inning against the Cardinals, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone.

The alert on Ortiz's first pitches flagged bets in Ohio, New York and New Jersey. Betting on the result of first pitches is offered by some sportsbooks, with such wagers commonly referred to as microbets.

[Biohazarddfl]

So he didn't make any bets? Am i following that correctly? Poor gambling sites lost money, boo hoo. I like that with some organized betting, i might be able to get a pitcher suspended

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[Lonewolf]

I'm not a fan of how cozy gambling establishments and the MLB have become in recent years...

[elontusk1119]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

I'm not a fan of how cozy gambling establishments and the MLB have become in recent years...

NBA too, Malik Beasley just got implicated

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

So he didn't make any bets? Am i following that correctly? Poor gambling sites lost money, boo hoo. I like that with some organized betting, i might be able to get a pitcher suspended

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Might want to see the pitches in question for the bets made.

[Biohazarddfl]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

Might want to see the pitches in question for the bets made.

For the record, i would bet that he is guilty. I just don't like how easy it is to seemingly get suspended preemptively.

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[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

For the record, i would bet that he is guilty. I just don't like how easy it is to seemingly get suspended preemptively.

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I would have to assume MLB has info not released to the public, but again, I would look at the incidents in question.

[Biohazarddfl]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I would have to assume MLB has info not released to the public, but again, I would look at the incidents in question.

I agree. They would have to, in order to suspend. I am very happy to hear that the sports books lost some money. It's incredible how quickly they cry when this happens.

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[discostu]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

For the record, i would bet that he is guilty. I just don't like how easy it is to seemingly get suspended preemptively.

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Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

I would have to assume MLB has info not released to the public, but again, I would look at the incidents in question.

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

I agree. They would have to, in order to suspend. I am very happy to hear that the sports books lost some money. It's incredible how quickly they cry when this happens.

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You should be comforted in knowing that he is not suspended, he's merely on paid administrative leave.

It's a very normal, and reasonable way to investigate a potentially troubling situation...in any industry.

[wiper]

it’s crazy that this is about TWO PITCHES in completely different games.

there’s no way the max bet on ‘will the first pitch of the 2nd inning be a ball or strike?’ is more than $100. wtf would the point of any of it be?

and i think i read they were first pitch sliders that were outside? for ball 1 of the at-bat? lmaoo what

[Biohazarddfl]

Originally Posted by discostu

You should be comforted in knowing that he is not suspended, he's merely on paid administrative leave.



It's a very normal, and reasonable way to investigate a potentially troubling situation...in any industry.

I'm not comforted. MLB is nothing like my job or a normal job.

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[89Giants]

Originally Posted by wiper

it’s crazy that this is about TWO PITCHES in completely different games.

there’s no way the max bet on ‘will the first pitch of the 2nd inning be a ball or strike?’ is more than $100. wtf would the point of any of it be?

and i think i read they were first pitch sliders that were outside? for ball 1 of the at-bat? lmaoo what

Clearly you don't bet on sports. $100 max bet hahaha. Did you see the 2 pitches? He couldn't of made it more obvious

[LVDan]

I own three of his rare rookie cards
What a maroon!!
both of us

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by wiper

it’s crazy that this is about TWO PITCHES in completely different games.

there’s no way the max bet on ‘will the first pitch of the 2nd inning be a ball or strike?’ is more than $100. wtf would the point of any of it be?

and i think i read they were first pitch sliders that were outside? for ball 1 of the at-bat? lmaoo what

The max bets are much higher than that. I just tried a live pitcher prop on Fanduel and the max was $4800 and change. I don't know what other books are maxed at. It's based on the customer too. Big gamblers will get bigger maxes until they win too much, then they'll be limited. Since three states were involved, it could have involved multiple accounts betting 5K each or whatever the max was.

They were flagged for the very reason you pointed out. Betting the first pitch of an inning is something a bored person at a game throws $10 on for S&G. When tens of thousands of dollars suddenly come in on that prop, and it's the same pitcher, in different games, that's more than enough to assume he's in on it. It's the same thing Jontay Porter did which led to his lifetime ban from the NBA.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

I agree. They would have to, in order to suspend. I am very happy to hear that the sports books lost some money. It's incredible how quickly they cry when this happens.

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Sportsbooks have one of the lowest profit margins of any business. All of the Vegas sportsbooks combined took in 8.5 billion in 2024 and only 481 million of that was profit. Divide that 481 by however many books there are in Vegas and then subtract all of their business costs including taxes, employee salaries, and the ungodly amount of money they spend to air a commercial every 2 minutes during a game. There's very little true net profit left. The biggest misconception is that sportsbooks are just raking it in. Look at how many books have gone bankrupt in the last 2 years alone. It's not the rosie business you think it is.

[Biohazarddfl]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

Sportsbooks have one of the lowest profit margins of any business. All of the Vegas sportsbooks combined took in 8.5 billion in 2024 and only 481 million of that was profit. Divide that 481 by however many books there are in Vegas and then subtract all of their business costs including taxes, employee salaries, and the ungodly amount of money they spend to air a commercial every 2 minutes during a game. There's very little true net profit left. The biggest misconception is that sportsbooks are just raking it in. Look at how many books have gone bankrupt in the last 2 years alone. It's not the rosie business you think it is.

I'm heartbroken

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[panamamyers]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

The max bets are much higher than that. I just tried a live pitcher prop on Fanduel and the max was $4800 and change. I don't know what other books are maxed at. It's based on the customer too. Big gamblers will get bigger maxes until they win too much, then they'll be limited. Since three states were involved, it could have involved multiple accounts betting 5K each or whatever the max was.

They were flagged for the very reason you pointed out. Betting the first pitch of an inning is something a bored person at a game throws $10 on for S&G. When tens of thousands of dollars suddenly come in on that prop, and it's the same pitcher, in different games, that's more than enough to assume he's in on it. It's the same thing Jontay Porter did which led to his lifetime ban from the NBA.

Was talking to a buddy about this today.
The easiest thing to control for s pitcher, something like a ball or strike on first pitch of an inning, is the hardest thing to lay big money on. To do this right, you have to find a type of bet that already gets hundreds of thousands of dollars laid on it and sneak it in there, but those are the hardest to accomplish and most likely to lead to a loss that affects the team. Something like the over on the opposing team. That's something that the starting pitcher could go a long ways to making come true, but then it will ultimately be affecting his ability to make a living in the first place.

[no10pin]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

I agree. They would have to, in order to suspend. I am very happy to hear that the sports books lost some money. It's incredible how quickly they cry when this happens.

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It's a business just like any other. Clearly you aren't a fan which is fine, but it's not 'crying' to try to make sure things remain above board.

Player props and live betting makes things like this pretty easy to pull off, so of course they are going to be watching closely.

[Biohazarddfl]

Originally Posted by no10pin

It's a business just like any other. Clearly you aren't a fan which is fine, but it's not 'crying' to try to make sure things remain above board.



Player props and live betting makes things like this pretty easy to pull off, so of course they are going to be watching closely.

I could care less about above board as it relates to sports books. I hope everyone takes them to the cleaners. I hope mlb doesnt help them at all and I especially hope my tax dollars don't go towards an investigation from law enforcement.

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[no10pin]

Originally Posted by Biohazarddfl

I could care less about above board as it relates to sports books. I hope everyone takes them to the cleaners. I hope mlb doesnt help them at all and I especially hope my tax dollars don't go towards an investigation from law enforcement.

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I'm not sure why you are hyperfocused on the sportsbook part of this. Whatever numbers are involved in this, it's not enough to make a difference.

I want the games I watch to not be tainted, so I very much care about things like this being stopped.

[Archangel1775]

Originally Posted by 89Giants

Clearly you don't bet on sports. $100 max bet hahaha. Did you see the 2 pitches? He couldn't of made it more obvious

The first pitch was low and barely outside I believe and looked pretty standard. The second pitch he threw into the dirt. I really dont get how anything could be concluded from that. There has to be more but I'm trying to figure out why any sports book would take anything more than $1k on a random bet like that. Then I'm trying to figure out why a pitcher that makes $760,000 per year minimum would do anything gambling related knowing how easy it would be to catch.

$100 there, $50 there, $20 there, oh look, $100K bet that the first pitch in the 2nd inning would be a ball. The MLB needs to institute some rules being they are that close to the gambling industry.

[anusinha]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

Sportsbooks have one of the lowest profit margins of any business. All of the Vegas sportsbooks combined took in 8.5 billion in 2024 and only 481 million of that was profit. Divide that 481 by however many books there are in Vegas and then subtract all of their business costs including taxes, employee salaries, and the ungodly amount of money they spend to air a commercial every 2 minutes during a game. There's very little true net profit left. The biggest misconception is that sportsbooks are just raking it in. Look at how many books have gone bankrupt in the last 2 years alone. It's not the rosie business you think it is.

From ChatGPT:

Vegas sportsbooks are consistently profitable, though their margins are relatively small compared to other parts of a casino's operations. Here's a breakdown of how profitable they are and why:

📊 Typical Profit Margin
Hold percentage (i.e., what sportsbooks keep from the total amount wagered):
Usually around 5% to 6% annually.

For example, if bettors wager $1 billion, sportsbooks might keep $50–60 million in revenue.

💰 Annual Profits
According to data from the Nevada Gaming Control Board:

In recent years (before and after COVID dips), Nevada sportsbooks have generated:

$300–500 million in total handle per month (over $5–6 billion annually)

Around $250–350 million in annual revenue (profit) from sports betting alone.

⚖️ Compared to Other Casino Games
Sportsbooks are less profitable than slots or table games:

Slot machines hold about 7–10% and generate billions annually.

Sportsbooks are more of a low-margin, high-volume operation and also serve to:

Attract foot traffic

Encourage food/drink/hotel spending

Build brand loyalty and app engagement (especially with mobile betting)

🧠 Key Profit Drivers
The “Vig” (juice) – The built-in edge on every bet (e.g., -110 lines require a 52.4% win rate to break even).

Volume – The more people bet, the more reliable the profit, especially across a wide portfolio of bets.

Public bias – Bettors often favor popular teams, which allows books to price lines in their favor.

In-play betting & parlays – Higher-margin bets (especially parlays) can juice profits.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by Archangel1775

The first pitch was low and barely outside I believe and looked pretty standard. The second pitch he threw into the dirt. I really dont get how anything could be concluded from that. There has to be more but I'm trying to figure out why any sports book would take anything more than $1k on a random bet like that. Then I'm trying to figure out why a pitcher that makes $760,000 per year minimum would do anything gambling related knowing how easy it would be to catch.

$100 there, $50 there, $20 there, oh look, $100K bet that the first pitch in the 2nd inning would be a ball. The MLB needs to institute some rules being they are that close to the gambling industry.

Malik Beasley made $49M in his career and was having his paychecks garnished by his dentist.

[base set]

I find one upside to the Sports Book, for Baseball & Hockey - where there’s a Sports Book, they generally feel obligated to put Baseball & Hockey on the TV. Otherwise it’s gonna be reruns of North Idaho Tech vs South Utah Ag College football scrimmage instead.

[wiper]

Originally Posted by 89Giants

Clearly you don't bet on sports. $100 max bet hahaha. Did you see the 2 pitches? He couldn't of made it more obvious

you clearly don’t win betting on sports lol.