State of Ohio halts all bets on Alabama baseball games following ‘suspicious wagering’

Alabama baseball was swept by the No.1 LSU Tigers over the weekend, but that’s not what’s making headlines early this week. Late Monday night Ohio gambling regulators instructed the state's licensed sportsbooks to halt all betting on college baseball games involving the Crimson Tide following suspicious wagering activity that was detected on Alabama games against LSU this past Friday night. The NCAA is looking into it.

ESPN reports the bets in question were placed Friday at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio while the Reds were on a road trip in Oakland at the time.

One of the bets was a parlay involving the Alabama-LSU game. The other leg of the parlay was a large, straight up bet on that same game. Both wagers involved the Tigers to win the ballgame, which they ultimately did 8-6 following a late Bama rally.

SEE ALSO:Ex-Raider Ruggs taking plea deal, prison in fatal DUI crash

SEE ALSO:Daughter of Buccaneers LB Shaq Barrett drowns in family pool

The University of Alabama athletic department released a comment Tuesday afternoon on the matter saying “Alabama Athletics became aware of this situation Monday evening and is actively seeking information about the report.”

Ronnie Johns, the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, spoke with NOLA.com on the matter saying “That in itself indicates that there’s definitely no suspicious activity on the part of LSU,” Johns told NOLA.com. “You don’t typically suspect the team that was picked to win the game. The problem would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”

Added Johns to NOLA.com: “Just because it was a suspicious activity doesn’t necessarily mean there was any kind of illegal activity. We just don’t know yet. There are red flags in terms of sports betting that go up when you see a large bet like that, kind of an isolated bet.”

Before Friday night’s game in Baton Rouge Sophomore pitcher Luke Holman was scheduled to get the start for the Crimson Tide, but according to UA’s game recap, reliever Hagan Banks was told an hour before first pitch that he would be getting the start in Holman's place.

ABC 33/40 sports reached out to the Southeastern Conference, the SEC has yet to comment on the situation.