NCAA Investigating 13 Former Players From 6 Schools For Sports Betting Violations

Thirteen men’s college basketball players from six schools were involved in gambling schemes, including betting against their own team, game manipulation, and sharing information with third parties for gambling purposes, the NCAA announced Thursday.

Former College Basketball Players Bet On Their Own Games

Players formerly associated with Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, and Mississippi Valley State are under investigation for gambling violations, according to the NCAA, which declined to name the athletes until the infractions process has concluded.

While none of the players are currently enrolled at the schools where the infractions occurred, the NCAA released this information due to the “extensive public reporting regarding these cases.”

The schools and respective school staffs in the ongoing cases are not alleged to have been involved in the violations by student-athletes, meaning the NCAA Committee on Infractions is not seeking penalties for the schools themselves for the student-athletes’ conduct.

Multiple Violations Are Being Investigated

The violations include athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of betting, knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes, and/or refusing to participate in the enforcement staff’s investigation.

“The NCAA monitors over 22,000 contests every year and will continue to aggressively pursue competition integrity risks such as these,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “I am grateful for the NCAA enforcement team’s relentless work and for the schools’ cooperation in these matters.

“The rise of sports betting is creating more opportunity for athletes across sports to engage in this unacceptable behavior, and while legalized sports betting is here to stay, regulators and gaming companies can do more to reduce these integrity risks by eliminating prop bets and giving sports leagues a seat at the table when setting policies.”

NCAA Prohibits All Types Of Sports Betting

Betting accounts associated with a gambling ring under federal investigation placed wagers deemed suspicious by bookmakers against Eastern Michigan, Temple, North Carolina A&T, New Orleans, and Mississippi Valley State over the past two seasons.

“Current NCAA rules do not allow student-athletes or school, conference or national office staff to engage in sports betting at any level (professional or college) for any sports that have NCAA championships,” the NCAA added in its news release.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is also currently investigating a gambling ring with ties to the NBA betting scandal involving former player Jontay Porter.