Just weeks after more than 30 people, including Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in connection with rigged NBA sports betting, two MLB pitchers are now under federal indictment in yet another gambling scandal. But anyone only casually paying attention to the mainstream media may be unaware.
JUST IN: Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers have been indicted for allegedly conspiring with sports bettors to rig MLB games.
Guardians player Luis Ortiz was arrested Sunday at Logan Airport in Boston.
Emmanuel Clase is not yet in custody, according to ABC.
“According to the… pic.twitter.com/CrPgtTZI5M
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 9, 2025
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians are being charged “with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy, for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown during Major League Baseball (MLB) games.”
If convicted, their prison time could be measured in decades.
A screenshot of MLB – YouTube, MLB
One could reasonably expect that with federal investigations rocking not one but two of the American sports leagues in quick succession, the mainstream media would be providing nonstop commentary and coverage. Yet for some reason, it’s barely been mentioned.
Investigation Details
The federal indictment was unsealed Sunday morning, and Ortiz was arrested by the FBI the same day. But both he and Clase have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since last July while under investigation. At the time, both the league and the Guardians released statements saying that they would not and could not comment until the investigation had been completed.
According to the Associated Press, MLB initiated the investigation when it noticed unusual betting activity connected to the players. In one example reported by the AP, according to the indictment, last May a pitch went wrong for Clase and lost bettors $4,000 in wagers.
“Clase sent text messages to one of the bettors with images of a man hanging himself with toilet paper and a sad puppy dog face,” they said.
Perhaps SNL or Jimmy Kimmel’s writers will find some material in that.
A screenshot from CNN – YouTube, CNN
A search of CNN‘s website shows no results when the news broke in July, and only one story regarding the recent indictment. Fox News has three articles about the pitchers, while the Associated Press and ESPN both have five. While this may not be a major story on its own (baseball has a long history of fixed games),the recent NBA scandal casts it in a different light, and the mainstream media’s silence is deafening.
Ironically, the reason the news is so quiet could be related to the root cause of the problem itself.
The Game
DraftKings and FanDuel are two of the leading platforms in sports betting and fantasy sports, with apps that easily allow users to place bets.
According to Investopedia, “DraftKings spent over $1.2 billion on marketing and sales in 2023, nearly three times its spending in 2021. Flutter, FanDuel’s parent company, spent $3.78 billion in 2023 across all its brands.” Those marketing investments have likely only increased in recent years, and any casual viewer has likely noticed ads for online sports betting during any and all programming on network, cable, and streaming.
This may be a case of the news outlets or their parent companies not wanting to bite the hand that feeds them.
Bob Iger via CNBC Television YouTube
Meanwhile, last week Disney named DraftKings the exclusive Official Sportsbook and Odds Provider of ESPN after abruptly ending its agreement with Penn Entertainment. The DraftKings deal means that its services will be integrated into the entire ESPN ecosystem. Disney is betting big that sports betting is something fans want as part of their entertainment.
A screenshot from MLB on YouTube – YouTube, MLB
However, fans may sour on gambling’s influence on the players if it destroys the authenticity of the games. As the sports betting services become increasingly intertwined with the mainstream media outlets, it will fall to fans—both gamblers and non-gamblers—to stay alert to what’s happening on and off the field.
Why do you think the media is being quiet about the recent arrests? Do you think sports betting is corrupting the games? Let us know in the comments!
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