"Integrity crisis": Senate committee to investigate MLB over betting scandal
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The MLB logo outside of Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Aug. 24 in Anaheim, California. Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images
A Senate committee said on Monday it will investigate Major League Baseball (MLB) following a recent high-profile gambling scandal.
Why it matters: The probe signals more congressional oversight into what the committee labeled the "integrity crisis" in American sports, according to a letter from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released Monday.
- Committee chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) requested information from Manfred on allegations of gambling and game-fixing in the league.
- It comes after Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted this month on multiple federal charges accusing them of manipulating game outcomes.
Context: For decades, the major sports leagues rejected sports betting to preserve the integrity of the game, Axios' Nathan Bomey reported.
- However in recent years, more than half of U.S. states have legalized betting.
- Virtually every major league has embraced the booming industry after the Supreme Court overturned the effective ban on federal sports betting in 2018.
State of play: The MLB isn't the only league facing scrutiny over betting scandals.
- The NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league last year for a violation of league rules around sports betting.
- More than 30 people were arrested across the U.S. last month in an illegal gambling investigation. Among them were NBA's Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, former Cavaliers guard and Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
- The NFL signaled in August that it was concerned about wagering taking place outside the framework of regulated sports betting via emerging prediction markets.
What they're saying: "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," Cruz and Cantwell wrote on Monday.
- "These developments warrant thorough scrutiny by Congress before misconduct issues become more widespread."
Read the full letter from Cruz and Cantwell:
Go deeper: Sports gambling scandals raise concerns over game integrity
