By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal investigation into a sprawling betting scheme to fix basketball games stretched from the Chinese Basketball Association to the NCAA and has ensnared 26 people, including current and former college players, prosecutors revealed Thursday.
The charges filed in federal court in Philadelphia include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy.
How did the scheme work?
A group of fixers, including gamblers, recruited players with the promise of a big payment in exchange for purposefully underperforming during a game, prosecutors said. Those fixers would then bet against the players’ teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, authorities said.
How did the players get paid?
In cash, hand-delivered by fixers after a game was successfully rigged, prosecutors say. That meant fixers flying into more than a dozen states to drop off cash to players on their campuses or while they were traveling between games.
How much money was involved?
Prosecutors didn’t say exactly how much the fixers allegedly received in ill-gotten gains. However, they said that the fixers wagered millions of dollars, generating “substantial proceeds” for themselves, and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to players in bribes.
Payments to players typically ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game. Meanwhile, fixers put nearly $200,000 in bribe payments and shared winnings from two rigged Chinese Basketball Association games into one player’s storage locker in Florida, authorities said.
How many games were involved?
At least 29 NCAA games as recently as January 2025, the indictment said, plus two games in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Did any of the charged players compete this season?
Four of the players charged — Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Oumar Koureissi and Camian Shell — played for their current teams within the last few days, although the allegations against them don’t involve this season, but the 2023-24 season.
When did this start?
Fixers started in 2023 with the two games in the Chinese Basketball Association and, successful there, moved on to rigging NCAA games after that.
Who were the alleged fixers?
Six men primarily, prosecutors say. Three had connections to players through coaching and training, two were described as gamblers and sports handicappers, and one is former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, prosecutors say.
Is the investigation over?
The indictment suggests that many others, including unnamed players, had a role in the scheme but weren’t charged, and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the investigation was continuing.
How does this fit into broader concerns about sports gambling?
The indictment is the latest gambling scandal to hit the sports world since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision unleashed a meteoric rise in legal sports betting. It follows a federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional basketball, NCAA lifetime bans on at least 10 basketball players for betting and two Major League baseball players facing federal charges that they took bribes to help gamblers.