Topline
The NFL issued a memo Thursday saying it will “limit — and where possible [prohibit] altogether — prop bets” in the league, according to multiple outlets, clamping down on pre-existing gambling policies after the MLB announced wager limits on certain props amid a string of betting scandals that have shaken the sports world.
Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians was indicted this month. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
The NFL memo was sent to team officials and said the league has “actively engaged with both state lawmakers and regulators” to limit and ban certain prop bets, according to ESPN, with the memo going over a range of already prohibited wager categories.
Prop bets, short for proposition bets, are wagers not directly tied to the outcome of a game, and can instead be tied to specific milestones or performance outcomes for teams or individual players.
The moves come after Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged with fraud, conspiracy and bribery for allegedly rigging pitches, and now face up to 65 years in prison.
The indictments triggered an agreement between the MLB and prominent U.S. sportsbooks to place a $200 limit on baseball wagers involving individual pitches and stop them from being used in parlays.
In Clase and Ortiz’s indictment, prosecutors said gamblers won $450,000 on individual pitch bets during the alleged scheme.
Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were some of the biggest names in an indictment of over 30 people last month that included accusations of illegal sports betting on insider NBA information and allegedly rigged poker games run by the Mafia.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Crucial Quote
“Very glad to see the NFL take this issue on. The @NCAA has been working to put an end prop bets for 2 years,” National Collegiate Athletic Association president Charlie Baker tweeted Thursday. The NCAA recently pushed back the planned date to lift a ban on letting its players bet on professional sports, with the decision coming in the wake of the indictments tied to NBA figures.