Former MLB closer Jonathan Papelbon said Thursday that Major League Baseball has gone to some unique lengths to try to keep its players away from gambling.

Speaking to Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast (h/t Audacy’s Ryan Gilbert), Papelbon discussed MLB having mob members speak to players about the dangers of betting:

“They brought some of the mob members in. Gambling is such a big deal. They’ve brought former FBI informants with the mob with gambling rings in the mob to come talk in spring training about, ‘Don’t get sucked into gambling. Stay clean. Don’t get into that world because once you get into it you’re done.’

“That’s how serious this is, man. We’re trying to keep the game clean. Once the game gets infiltrated, it’s done.”

The 43-year-old Papelbon spent 12 seasons in MLB with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, racking up 368 career saves and earning six All-Star selections and one World Series win.

When asked if players get approached with offers to fix games, Papelbon responded affirmatively:

“Yes, 1000 percent, especially young guys and especially guys that are in my position like a closer who can really affect a game. I could’ve affected every game that I played in. Literally. To the amount of we can still win, but I can let another run score, cover, be OK, nobody would ever know, to that extent.

“As a player, I don’t think it happens as much as you think that they get approached, but they do. It does happen to players.”

There is a history of major gambling scandals across the history of baseball. The most notable one being all-time hits leader Pete Rose getting banned for life from baseball and being made ineligible for the Hall of Fame after betting on baseball during his time as the Cincinnati Reds’ manager.

The 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Reds was also marred by controversy, as multiple White Sox players were found to have conspired with gamblers to throw the World Series.

The players, including legendary outfielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, were banned from baseball as part of what was dubbed the Black Sox Scandal.

Recently, gambling has been a huge topic of conversation in MLB circles. The Los Angeles Dodgers recently fired the interpreter and friend of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani to bet on sports.

Per ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, Ippei Mizuhara admitted to using Ohtani’s money to bet on sports other than baseball. Prior to Mizuhara’s admission, a spokesperson for Ohtani had said that Ohtani wired money in order to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts.

Given the inconsistencies, Major League Baseball is investigating the situation in an effort to determine if Ohtani had any involvement aside from being a victim of theft.