Ohio Casino Control Commission Satisfied With MLB Rule Changes on Micro-Betting

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine had championed banning micro-betting in the Buckeye State, but Major League Baseball took swift and decisive action after two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were involved in a live player prop betting scandal.

DeWine and the Ohio Casino Control Commission are said to be satisfied with the changes imposed by the league.

MLB Takes Action

Major League Baseball announced sweeping changes regarding micro-betting after Cleveland starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were indicted on a litany of charges related to manipulating specific pitches for betting purposes in 2024 and 2025.

The MLB realized the integrity of its game was suddenly in the crosshairs and worked with all the major sportsbooks to have them limit micro-betting on MLB games to $200 and eliminate them from parlays. It has been reported that the league received compliance from 98% of the US-licensed sportsbooks operating throughout the nation.

Casey Brett, MLB’s senior vice president of business operations, wanted to publicly acknowledge the transparency between sportsbooks and the league. “[Sportsbooks] are required to help us with investigations and notify us if they feel like some sort of fishy information is happening,” Brett said. “Like if a large amount of money was placed on this event, that doesn’t make sense; they are required to exchange that information.”

DeWine Says MLB Rule Changes Are Fine

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has been a big proponent of eliminating micro-betting and has proposed his state get out in front of it. He had previously requested that the Ohio Casino Control Commission remove prop betting from the state’s sports betting market.

“The Ohio Casino Control Commission (the “Commission”) works closely with Governor DeWine’s Office and the General Assembly in serving the citizens of Ohio and protecting the integrity of gaming in the State,” said Assistant General Counsel Emily Berner. “To that end, staff is gathering information for the Commission to consider. The Commission will announce its next steps in the upcoming days.”

However, things move slowly in legislative circles, and now that Major League Baseball has recently proposed these changes to its microbetting policy, the rush for change in Ohio is no longer as urgent due to MLB’s swift action.

“I commend Ohio Governor DeWine for his leadership on this issue over the last several months,” Manfred said in the announcement of the limits. “I also commend the industry for working with us to take action on a national solution to address the risks posed by these pitch-level markets, which are particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns.