With recent gambling scandals casting a long shadow over professional and collegiate sports, Congress has turned its attention to Major League Baseball today, with members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation sending a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred expressing concern about what they called a “new integrity crisis” in American sports. The committee’s responsibilities include oversight of professional sports.
The letter, first reported by ESPN, asks for an explanation from MLB on how it monitors betting activity and why signs of alleged pitch manipulation involving two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were not detected sooner.
The request comes less than a week after federal indictments were unsealed, charging Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz with participating in a scheme to rig individual pitches to benefit bettors.
Lawmakers said the allegations go well beyond those in other betting cases involving MLB and gave the league until December 5 to turn over the information they’re seeking.
The same committee sought answers from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in October following the indictments of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones for alleged game rigging and illegal betting.
Senators: Recent Allegations are ‘Markedly More Serious’
According to ESPN, Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, the Chair and Ranking Member of the committee, asked why the conduct went undetected for so long, calling them “markedly more serious” than previous integrity violations.
The senators pointed to the case of Tucupita Marcano, who was given a lifetime ban from the sport in 2024 for placing hundreds of bets on baseball games, including wagers while he was still on an MLB roster.
They called on MLB to explain how the alleged pitch-fixing could have gone undetected since 2023, writing: “How did MLB catch Marcano and ban him for life but failed to notice Clase allegedly rigging pitches for two years?”
The lawmakers continued: “The integrity of the game is paramount. MLB has every interest in ensuring baseball is free from influence and manipulation. … But in light of these recent developments, MLB must clearly demonstrate how it is meeting its responsibility to safeguard America’s pastime.”
Lawmakers further called on MLB to explain when it first became aware of the alleged conduct, disclose its current wagering and information-control policies, and outline every betting-related investigation the league has opened since January 1, 2020.
Lawmakers Warn of ‘Systemic Vulnerability’ Across US Sports
In the letter, committee members pointed out that the MLB case isn’t an isolated incident, expressing concerns about the increasing number of betting-related cases across professional leagues.
Referencing MLB and other sports, they wrote: “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.” They went on to say: “These developments warrant thorough scrutiny by Congress before misconduct issues become more widespread.”
After asking the NBA to brief them on its betting scandal, Congress has now turned its attention to MLB, saying that it must account for its integrity safeguards at a time when regulated betting continues to expand and insider information remains a significant risk.
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