A state senator in New Jersey says he has no plans to stop pushing for a statewide ban on microbetting, even after Major League Baseball took steps to take “particularly vulnerable” wagering markets off the menu at most sportsbooks.
“At this time I have no intention of abandoning efforts to curtail micro-bets and prop bets in NJ,” Democratic Sen. Paul Moriarty told Covers in a statement on Friday. “Proposals by sports leagues to cap these wagers, in my opinion, do not address the addictive nature of these types of bets, nor does it adequately address the incentives for cheating.”
- A New Jersey senator says MLB’s new pitch-level betting limits are insufficient and vows to keep pushing legislation that would ban microbetting statewide.
- MLB’s national cap on pitch-level wagers and removal of those bets from parlays eased Ohio’s push for a ban but has not slowed similar efforts in New Jersey.
- Recently introduced bills in New Jersey would prohibit state sportsbooks from offering microbets, citing integrity risks and concerns about rapid, potentially harmful wagering.
Moriarty is one of the sponsors of recently introduced legislation that would ban New Jersey sports betting operators from offering or accepting action on "micro" bets.
Those bets are defined by Senate Bill 4794 as “a proposition bet which is wagered live, while a sport or athletic event is ongoing, and concerns the outcome of the next play or action occurring in the sport or athletic event."
Risky business
In other words, S.B. 4794 (as well as a similar piece of legislation in the New Jersey Assembly) would ban the sort of betting markets that Major League Baseball and its sportsbook partners announced they would put limits on earlier this week.
MLB said on Monday that, effective immediately, its authorized gaming operators would cap wagers on “pitch-level” betting markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays.
A New Jersey lawmaker is proposing to prohibit sportsbook operators from offering microbetting in the state, something that could be of particular concern to a company like DraftKings, which purchased microbetting tech provider Simplebet last year. pic.twitter.com/HLc7CDqekZ
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) July 25, 2025
So-called “micro-bet” markets for pitches, such as how fast they will be or whether they are a ball or a strike, present “heightened integrity risks,” MLB said. In a statement, Commissioner Rob Manfred thanked the industry for working with the league on a national solution to the risks of the pitch-level markets, which he called “particularly vulnerable to integrity concerns.”
“These new measures – implemented across sportsbook operators representing more than 98% of the U.S. betting market – are intended to mitigate integrity risks, and maintain the transparency and data access benefits that the regulated sports betting market provides,” the league said in its press release.
The move by MLB and its sportsbook partners followed a criminal indictment unsealed last weekend charging two Cleveland Guardians pitchers in connection with an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches they threw.
Both pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were placed on nondisciplinary paid leave this summer amid an MLB investigation. The controversy, though, stoked interest among state lawmakers in cracking down on microbetting.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine salutes the MLB-sportsbook agreement to cap bets on pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays. Says it will let Ohio's regulator "audit" adherence to the deal.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) November 10, 2025
“I urge other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s example with similar action.” pic.twitter.com/dXV4vVonaL
In New Jersey, legislation that would ban microbetting was introduced. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine called on his state's sports betting regulator to prohibit microbetting as well.
However, following the announcement this week of MLB’s pitch-bet restrictions, the push for a statewide ban on microbetting in Ohio is on hold, at least for now.
“I commend Commissioner Manfred, Major League Baseball, and its partners for taking this action to address the problem of micro-prop bets,” DeWine said in this week’s press release. “By limiting the ability to place large wagers on micro-prop bets, Major League Baseball is taking affirmative steps to protect the integrity of the game and reduce the incentives to participate in improper betting schemes. I urge other sports leagues to follow Major League Baseball’s example with similar action.”
Welp, here it is: "Two Current Major League Baseball Players Charged in Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy" pic.twitter.com/fKCfHFj0m2
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) November 9, 2025
While MLB’s moves were enough to smooth over concerns in Ohio (where the league has two teams), it appears it won’t be enough to kill the interest in a microbetting ban in New Jersey (which has no MLB teams in the state, but plenty of baseball fans and the Yankees and Mets nearby).
Stop and think
Microbetting is a relatively small but growing slice of the overall wagering pie for online sports betting sites in the U.S. Even so, some New Jersey lawmakers have taken an interest in restricting that in-play wagering.
The Assembly bill that would ban microbetting in New Jersey appears it was officially introduced and referred to a committee on Thursday, after MLB's announcement. While both bills have a long way to go before they become law, they would keep microbetting off the menu at New Jersey’s online sportsbooks, on penalty of fines of between $500 and $1,000 per violation.
“The pace at which sporting events are played, and therefore the pace at which micro bets can be placed, limits the ability of bettors to research and consider their wagers before placing them and enables bettors to place a higher volume of wagers in a shorter amount of time, contributing to excessive and irresponsible gambling,” a statement attached to the bill says.
