The NCAA has announced that 13 more cases are under scrutiny as part of the widening of its investigation into college basketball betting violations. The news follows confirmation of rule-breaking by another three athletes earlier this week.
Key Takeaways
- The NCAA is looking into potential violations by 13 former men's basketball student-athletes.
- Athletes competed for six different schools at the time.
- Bets are said to have been part of a coordinated effort to fix results.
The NCAA has revealed that it is investigating further violations of sports betting rules, in relation to the ongoing basketball betting scandal. Enforcement staff are now looking into potential violations by 13 former men's basketball student-athletes, who competed at six different schools during the period in question.
Inquiries are centered on allegations of athletes betting on and against the teams they were playing for at the time, as well as the sharing of information for illegal betting purposes.
Some players are alleged to have manipulated scores for reasons relating to sports betting, while others are under question for their refusal to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Sources say that the violations point to a coordinated effort to fix the results of games.
The schools themselves, and their staff, are not accused of any involvement. However, student-athletes formerly associated with Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, and Mississippi Valley are now part of the official investigation. The NCAA has also reported that other cases could soon be added.
NCAA bans three athletes for betting violations
The news comes following confirmation earlier this week that three athletes had broken the rules during their time playing for college teams.
Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver from Fresno State, and Steven Vasquez from San Jose State, were handed permanent bans for gambling violations that included the sharing of information and betting on their own games.
Daily fantasy wagers are said to have drawn the attention of compliance agencies in these cases. The report notes that “Robinson also placed 13 daily fantasy sports over-line and under-line prop bets, totaling $454, on parlays that included his own performance.”
This scandal is one that refuses to go away, with an ever increasing number of athletes and colleges being drawn in as time goes on. And with several athletes having already faced federal charges and bans, the seriousness of the accusations cannot be understated.
Link to NBA’s biggest ever scandal
In August, it was revealed that multiple players and programs were being investigated in relation to unusual betting activity over a two-year period. The federal investigation, which centered on the illegal gambling ring headed up by former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, led to formal charges and a lifetime ban for Porter.
It wasn’t just Porter profiting from the bets, of course. Shane Hennen, the alleged mastermind of the associated gambling ring was arrested at the beginning of this year, while Long Phi Pham, Mahmud Mollah, Timothy McCormack, and Porter have all since pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges. Porter’s sentencing is now expected in December.
Integrity monitoring firms have noted a number of potential gambling violations since the first investigation was launched, and this week’s news shows that the net is continuing to widen.
“The NCAA monitors over 22,000 contests every year and will continue to aggressively pursue competition integrity risks such as these,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said. “I am grateful for the NCAA enforcement team's relentless work and for the schools' cooperation in these matters.
“The rise of sports betting is creating more opportunity for athletes across sports to engage in this unacceptable behavior, and while legalized sports betting is here to stay, regulators and gaming companies can do more to reduce these integrity risks by eliminating prop bets and giving sports leagues a seat at the table when setting policies."
