Criminal Law
Feds charge players, gamblers in conspiracy to fix college basketball games
Federal prosecutors have charged 26 people in a betting ring involving NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association game fixing. (Shutterstock image)
Federal prosecutors have unveiled a betting ring involving NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association game fixing, charging 26 people, including current and former college basketball players.
The case involves gamblers placing bets and bribing players with large cash payouts for underperforming during a game, even texting players pictures of stacks of money if they complied. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the investigation is ongoing and shows a “significant corruption of the integrity of sports,” according to coverage in APNew.com.
The overall conspiracy includes 39 college basketball players and 17 teams in over 29 Division I games, according to the indictment, which names former NBA player Antonio Blakeney with having a role in the scheme. In 2022, Blakeney played with the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association when the college scheme began, according to the New York Times. Players listed in the recent indictment include Kennesaw State’s Simeon Cottle, Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart, Delaware State’s Camian Shell and Texas Southern’s Oumar Koureissi.
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