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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, along with the FBI, announced a broad investigation resulting in charges against 26 individuals in connection with an alleged bribery and point-shaving scheme designed to fix NCAA Division I men’s basketball games. The scheme allegedly spanned several seasons. The charges highlight the seriousness with which federal authorities are treating attempts to corrupt the integrity of college sports betting markets.The government is alleging that match fixers recruited or attempted to recruit and bribe basketball student-athletes to influence game outcomes or to fail to cover spreads (point shaving) in NCAA men’s basketball contests. The scheme allegedly involved hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and millions in wagering proceeds, with bribes offered per game and broader efforts to recruit players from multiple NCAA teams.

The government is alleging that match fixers recruited or attempted to recruit and bribe basketball student-athletes to influence game outcomes or to fail to cover spreads (point shaving) in NCAA men’s basketball contests. The scheme allegedly involved hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and millions in wagering proceeds, with bribes offered per game and broader efforts to recruit players from multiple NCAA teams.

The list of charged individuals includes student-athletes and others who acted as “fixers” or facilitators, with activity spanning, as of now, more than 17 NCAA Division I programs and at least 29 games fixed or attempted to be fixed. The significance and the scope of the charges make clear that the FBI is prioritizing activities that jeopardize the integrity of college athletics contests and betting markets. 

In light of these developments, immediate best practices for NCAA member institutions include: 

• Provide and document rules education related to current NCAA and criminal directives and legislation related to wagering and match fixing;
• Work with conference offices and affiliated integrity agencies to monitor irregular wagering activities involving your institution;
• Consult with appropriate legal counsel in the event that you become aware of any information that a student-athlete, coach, or employee on your campus is involved in impermissible or illegal wagering or match-fixing activities;
• Immediately contact legal counsel in the event you are contacted by a law enforcement agency regarding allegations pertaining to your institution and/or student-athletes currently or formerly associated with your institution and alert relevant staff regarding expectations if they are independently contacted by law enforcement;
• Consider preparing guidelines outlining reporting structures in the event individuals are contacted by law enforcement regarding matters that affect or may reflect upon the institution;
• Establish appropriate policies and procedures related to internal reporting channels and prompt inquiry into any credible allegations or suspicious activity.

Additionally, we encourage university officials to:

• Review current internal controls around student-athlete exposure to third-party entities, NIL arrangements, recruiting communications, and income disclosure;
• Monitor social media activity to the extent possible to determine if potentially nefarious third parties are communicating with student-athletes or coaches about impermissible or illegal wagering activity;
• Reinforce education and training for boosters on integrity, reporting obligations, and consequences of bribery and point-shaving;
• Audit and monitor wagering-related activity involving student-athletes or personnel, including any unusual financial patterns or contact with third-party partners.

In the event that your institution detects information related to potential impermissible wagering activity or match-fixing on campus, please contact John Long of our College Athletics Industry Practice Group or Ed Fox of our White Collar Practice Group.