NCAA College Basketball filled with rigged games
How a cross border betting scheme reached U.S. campuses
According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia have charged 26 people in connection with a sweeping basketball betting conspiracy that spanned both NCAA men’s basketball and China’s professional basketball league.
Court filings describe a scheme that unfolded gradually, beginning overseas before drawing in American college athletes. Investigators say intermediaries targeted players with offers of cash, asking them to deliberately play below their ability in specific games. Those inside the scheme then placed large wagers against the players’ own teams, profiting when the manipulated outcomes hit expected betting lines.
Prosecutors allege the practice cheated sportsbooks and the broader betting public, noting that wagers would not have been honored had operators known games were being fixed.
From China to college gyms
According to the indictment cited by AP, the conspiracy began with two games in China’s Basketball Association in 2023. After early success, investigators say the same tactics were later applied to NCAA games, with attempted fixes continuing into January 2025.
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As the operation expanded, so did its reach. Prosecutors say more than 39 players from at least 17 Division I programs were involved in fixing or attempting to fix more than 29 games. Betting volume reached into the millions of dollars, generating what court documents describe as substantial proceeds.
Players were typically paid between 10,000 and 30,000 dollars per game. Authorities say hundreds of thousands of dollars were distributed in total, and in some cases, players helped recruit teammates or athletes at other schools into the scheme.
Who was charged and how the network worked
Among the players charged are Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Oumar Koureissi and Camian Shell. According to prosecutors, each appeared in games recently, though none of the alleged misconduct involves the current season.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the case as an international criminal conspiracy and a significant corruption of the integrity of sports, according to AP reporting. He added that the investigation remains active and could lead to additional charges.
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The defendants include 15 players who competed during the 2024, 2025 NCAA season, several who last played college basketball in earlier years, and former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, who played professionally in China during the 2022, 2023 season.
Prosecutors identified five defendants as fixers. They include trainers, a former coach, a former NCAA player, and individuals described in court filings as gamblers and sports handicappers.
Gambling growth and college sports pressure points
The case arrives amid the continued expansion of legal sports betting in the United States, following a 2018 Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for states to regulate gambling individually.
The NCAA prohibits athletes and staff from betting on college sports and recently reversed a short lived policy that would have allowed student athletes to wager on professional games.
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Prosecutors say the charges, which include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy, reflect a broader challenge facing modern college athletics. As betting markets grow and financial pressures increase, investigators warn that athletes with limited income and high exposure can become prime targets for manipulation.
Sources: Associated Press
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