US Attorney Charges 15 NCAA Athletes Over Match-Fixing

The US sports betting industry has been rocked by another scandal.

The US Attorney for the District of Eastern Pennsylvania has charged 15 former and current men’s basketball players with match-fixing. Five non-athletes, who authorities describe as fixers, were also named in the indictment. The charges include bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy, which carry maximum sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, 17 different schools were affected by the scheme.

29 Games Affected From Past Two Seasons

The extent of the new NCAA scandal is among the largest we have seen. According to the 70-page charging document, authorities believe they can prove 29 games played over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. 

Each of the players involved is accused of accepting between $10,000 - $30,000 to meddle with the outcome of their games. This often involved intentional turnovers, missed shots, and other feigned mistakes to ensure a certain result.

The five fixers are suspected of starting their scheme in 2022, but only for basketball leagues in China. However, that quickly changed as the group decided to turn its focus on college basketball.

Familiar Schools Involved in Scandal

While no blue-chip programs were named in the scandal, the list contains names fans will know from their appearances in March Madness. Schools like DePaul, St. Louis, Tulane, Buffalo, La Salle, and more have made frequent trips to the tournament, though some have fallen on hard times of late. 

While no NCAA Tournament games were involved in the indictment, the familiarity of the teams involved will lead many fans to question what they are watching in March. Players at the smaller schools often don’t have NBA dreams or NIL contracts, making massive payouts from fixers more appealing. With so many making the tournament each year, the risk will always be present.

The following schools were included in the federal indictment, along with how many times they were selected for March Madness:

Bigger Than Player Props

The latest NCAA scandal serves as a reminder that player prop bets are not the only ones vulnerable to betting schemes. While the NCAA and states have been targeting the bet type to prevent scandals like this, it is clear that point-shaving remains a prominent concern. 

Before the US legalized mobile sports betting, point-shaving was an issue in college and pro sports. While player props have been at the center of most scandals since then, PASPA was overturned, it's clear that fixers still believe there is money to be made in point-fixing.