Ohio bettor banned over alleged threats directed at Blue Jays manager John Schneider

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The explosion of sports gambling creates any manner of irrational reactions from disgruntled gamblers, including one who allegedly made threats toward Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider over comments he made before a game during the 2025 World Series.

According to an ESPN report on Wednesday, Ohio gaming regulators banned one such bettor who allegedly reached out to an MLB customer service line and made violent threats directed at Schneider.

According to the report, the Ohio Casino Control Commission banned Blake Morgan on what is known as the Sports Gaming Involuntary Exclusion List over alleged threats. The action took place on Wednesday during a public meeting into the matter.

The Blue Jays were aware of the incident, a source confirmed to the Toronto Sun. A team spokesperson said the organization had no further comment on the allegations.

According to the report, Morgan allegedly called an MLB customer service line on the night of Game 4 of the Jays’ World Series showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers and made what ESPN reported was “multiple threats directed at Schneider.”

Accused allegedly angered by Ohtani comments

Citing gaming commission records, ESPN reported that the conversation in which the threats were allegedly made lasted about 14 minutes.

The caller allegedly accused Schneider of “lying” about plans to walk Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani during Game 4 of the best-of-seven series at Dodger Stadium.

“That was a gambling grab,” the caller said, according to ESPN. “This game is not legit. There’s shady, fake and disturbing behaviour going on.”

The call escalated from there with the caller allegedly issuing violent threats toward Schneider that included: “We’ve got his address, we’ve got all his information. If you don’t do something about it, we’re going to deal with your manager.”

The ESPN report said that MLB has indefinitely banned Morgan from all venues and did so not long after the incident.

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MLB calls threats ‘unacceptable’

Like other major pro sports organizations, MLB has protocols in place to deal with gambling-related issues, measures that have been heightened given the growth of legalized gambling throughout North America.

“We will continue to work with regulators across the country to protect those who work in our industry from unacceptable threats,” an MLB spokesperson told ESPN.

According to the report, MLB head of security David Thomas told an Ohio Casino Control Commission hearing in June that threats toward participants and their families have escalated since legal betting become prominent in the U.S. in 2018.

“We receive just an innumerable number of cases in which people … are threatening to harm or kill or behead or rape players, their spouses, their girlfriends and their children,” Thomas said, according to ESPN. “It’s awful.”

According to a commission release on the decision, MLB was actively involved in the investigation.

“Major League Baseball’s partnership was instrumental in bringing this matter before the commission and we appreciate MLB’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the game,” the release said, according to the Canton Repository, quoting the commission’s interim executive director Andromeda Morrison. “Sports gaming should be conducted responsibly and any act that threatens harm or violence against sports participants because of wagering will not be tolerated.”