Federal prosecutors in the U.S. have criminally charged 20 people. Together, they purportedly conspired in an illegal betting operation used to fix matches in both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has issued the charges. It exposes a sordid backroom racket that includes former NCAA athletes, talent scouts, and six and seven figure sums of money.
Among those charged are 15 former college basketball players, many of whom participated in NCAA Division 1 programs as recently as the 2024-2025 season. Those charges include bribery in interstate commerce in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. These allegations speak to the egregiousness of that case. The extensive 70-page indictment describes a complex scheme that allegedly occurred from September 2022 to February 2025.
The alleged conspirators focused on several NCAA games, with certain schools mentioned in their scheme. Universities such as Nicholls State University, Tulane University, and Northwestern State University were specifically targeted for game-fixing schemes. Other participating schools included La Salle University, DePaul University, Robert Morris University, The University of Southern Mississippi, and North Carolina A&T State University. The fixers then allegedly worked their players through their bribery payments, which were often between $10,000 and $30,000 per game.
Two others who train and develop youth basketball players were indicted. This compounds the number of college players in this current cycle who have been accused. These fixers were instrumental in luring players into the scheme. They used their influence in the sport to help orchestrate game fixing.
During the 2022-2023 CBA season, several players allegedly engaged in “point shaving.” This approach has players bending the final score to create specific desired results for betting purposes. Not only does this practice affect the credibility of college and pro basketball, but it is completely unethical. It shines a bright light on the opportunity for corruption in sports betting.
This latest indictment comes on the heels of a much larger nationwide effort by the FBI to interrupt illegal gambling rings associated with professional basketball. Just last year, over three dozen people were charged in a federal sweep that targeted similar crackdowns of the widespread corruption in the sport.
The indictment of these charges, unsealed by federal prosecutors in Philadelphia, marks the latest chapter in an ongoing crusade against corruption in the world of sports. Federal authorities have launched their own investigations. They should be probing not just the scope of this purported betting operation, but how it threatens the integrity of competitive play.
