New Jersey stops bets on Alabama baseball, joining Ohio
New Jersey sportsbooks have been told to stop bets on Alabama baseball the same week Ohio issued an emergency order suspending wagers on the Crimson Tide, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General's Office told The Tuscaloosa News.
"The action was taken out of an abundance of caution after the Ohio Casino Control Commission halted bets on the University of Alabama baseball team after suspicious activity was identified in the Alabama vs. Louisiana State University game on April 28," the statement from New Jersey read. "Currently, New Jersey gaming operators and their independent fraud monitors have not detected any suspicious wagering in New Jersey."
As for other states, Colorado has not issued a directive specific to Alabama but is "closely monitoring the situation," a spokesperson emailed The Tuscaloosa News. Connecticut has not formally stopped betting on Alabama baseball, but it's three licensed wagering operators, FanDuel, DraftKings and PlaySugarHouse, appear to have proactively removed the option to bet on games involving the Crimson Tide, according to an email from a Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection spokesperson.
On Monday, Matthew T. Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, issued a directive banning "the acceptance of any wagers on University of Alabama baseball effective immediately." The Commission received information from one of its certified independent integrity monitors about wagers made on Alabama baseball. It involved Friday's game against LSU, which the Crimson Tide lost, 8-6.
“Alabama Athletics became aware of this situation Monday evening and is actively seeking information about the report," a UA athletics spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Tuscaloosa News.
Alabama starting pitcher Luke Holman was a late scratch, according to the UA game notes. Hagan Banks replaced him. Coach Brad Bohannon was quoted in the game notes saying Banks found out an hour before the game he was going to start.
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"We are continuing to look into the matter," Jessica Franks, the Commission's director of communications, told the Tuscaloosa News in an email Tuesday.
The emergency order from Ohio also states that "any wagers placed on an incomplete sporting event that has had wagering suspended through the issuance of an emergency order must be voided in according with Chapter 37775-11-01 (F)."
It's the first time the Commission has issued an order to prohibit wagers, according to Franks.
Ohio defines suspicious sports gaming activity as "unusual sports gaming activity that cannot be explained and is indicative of any of the following: match fixing, the manipulation of a sport, misuse of inside information, a potential breach of a sports governing body's internal rules or code of conduct pertaining to sports gaming, any other conduct that corrupts the outcome of a sport, and any other prohibited activity."
The Crimson Tide (30-15, 9-12 SEC) lost to the Tigers (35-8, 15-5) on Friday, 8-6, in the first game of an LSU weekend sweep. However, the deficit was seven runs before Alabama scored five runs in the game's final two innings, including four with two outs in the ninth.
Alabama (30-15, 9-12 SEC) hosts Vanderbilt (32-11, 16-5) in a Thursday-Sunday series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Thursday and Friday games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. Saturday's finale has first pitch set for 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: New Jersey stops bets on Alabama baseball, joining Ohio
