The third party involved in the gambling scandal that landed a former Fresno State men’s basketball player in hot water with the NCAA has turned out to be a former DraftKings employee.
Key Takeaways
- Four men were allegedly involved in a parlay betting scheme that netted nearly $16,000.
- DraftKings said its two former employees were not linked to college basketball trading.
- Mykell Robinson allegedly placed a $200 bet on his own prop unders.
According to an ESPN report, Samuel Silverman was arrested on May 5 and faces felony charges for committing a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment and facilitating funds in the game-manipulation scheme by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The state agency said in a June 11 release that it concluded an investigation into suspicious betting activity at Fresno State and had made the arrest. The NGCB is still pursuing criminal charges against “several additional suspects.”
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
Conspiring with others
Silverman, who worked as a DraftKings trader in 2025, allegedly made more than $3,000 and facilitated illegal gambling winnings from the performance-manipulation plan involving Mykell Robinson, the former Fresno State player, Steven Vasquez, a former teammate of Robinson’s who was also ruled ineligible by the NCAA, and Matthew J. Martin, another former DraftKings trader.
Silverman’s attorney told ESPN that his client has pleaded not guilty, and “we will present a vigorous defense of Mr. Silverman in a court of law based on evidence and facts.” Silverman faces up to five years in prison and fines if convicted.
DraftKings, which has a branding partnership with ESPN, told the outlet that an internal investigation found that Silverman and Martin weren’t involved in college basketball pricing, and no internal information was used in the scheme.
“The alleged activity at issue did not occur on DraftKings' platform, and the individuals involved are no longer employed by the company,” the DraftKings spokesperson told ESPN in a statement. “We strongly condemn the alleged conduct of these former employees and remain committed to protecting the integrity of sports and sports betting.”
The scheme
The NCAA ruled Robinson and Vasquez ineligible in September 2025 after an investigation found that the pair worked together to profit on the unders of Robinson’s player props in a Jan. 7, 2025, game.
Robinson had already transferred to San Jose State and wasn’t on the team during the scheme, but according to the NGCB’s report, Robinson told his former roommate Vasquez in text messages that he would take himself out of the game early and had Vasquez set up a $200 parlay wager through Silverman – who was a former basketball manager at Fresno State – and Martin.
Robinson scored three points on a 3-pointer, grabbed two rebounds, and had no assists in 21 minutes against Colorado State. There were three suspicious parlays placed at BetMGM, which flagged the multi-leg bets on under 10.5 points, 2.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 3-pointers.
Distributing funds
The parlays resulted in $15,950 in proceeds from the illegal scheme. The NGCB’s report says Silverman sent Vasquez $1,225 in winnings from Robinson’s $200 parlay, funds that Vasquez then sent to Robinson’s mother.
The NGCB said Martin made $11,325 from the scheme, and he had never wagered “any similar substantial amounts on prop bets for an NCAA basketball player.” The state agency also found that Martin immediately withdrew his winnings to his PayPal and bank accounts before “completing transactions to Silverman for distribution.”
Investigation begins
Shortly after, Fresno State head coach Vance Walberg received a tip from a player’s parent that Robinson could be betting on games. The school began its own investigation, and Robinson denied the allegations.
The NGCB interviewed Martin at DraftKings’ Las Vegas office in October 2025 and looked into the betting accounts of Martin and Silverman. DraftKings employees are allowed to wager on other platforms, and the state investigation found that Silverman lost money betting on Robinson’s player prop overs in the next game.
This gambling scheme is one of several investigated by the NCAA over the last year. Numerous players have been ruled ineligible for manipulating performances or fixing games.
