Today, Explained The bet that's ruining sports
62 snips
Nov 13, 2025 
Danny Font, a reporter covering sports betting and author of *Everybody Loses*, dives into the growing scandal surrounding MLB players manipulating bets. He discusses how micro prop bets enable real-time exploitation and the explosive rise of live betting thanks to tech advancements. Font explores why wealthy athletes still gamble and the dark side of betting's impact on fans and player safety. He also examines the history of legalized betting, the persistence of black markets, and the potential tipping points for a reckoning in the industry.
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Pitchers Indicted For Coordinating Bets
- Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted for texting and arranging bets on specific pitches.
- Prosecutors say bettors won roughly $400,000 across several platforms using inside information.
Live Microbets Enable Targeted Manipulation
- Live online betting lets a single player influence microprop outcomes in real time.
- Smartphones and in-play markets create new manipulation opportunities unseen before legal online betting.
Prop Bets Drive The Industry's Profits
- About $150 billion is wagered legally each year and roughly 30% goes to props.
- Those props generate 60% of sportsbooks' revenue, making them central to the industry.
