Media Report: Gambling Syndicate Targeting Men’s College Basketball Games
Posted on: October 19, 2025, 02:37h.
Last updated on: October 19, 2025, 02:37h.
With the start of the NCAA men’s college basketball season coming into focus (early November), the topic of the popularity of gambling on the sport becomes more of a talking point, and an ESPN report on an investigation into illicit gambling shows the risks when sports and betting merge.
Beasley Investigation
Stories emerge on occasion that really shines a spotlight on that. Followers of the NBA now know the name Jontay Porter, the former Toronto Raptor who was suspended for life for betting on NBA games, and point shaving, including games involving his own team.
Also on the NBA side, ESPN reported in June that Malik Beasley, still a free agent, was under investigation in a federal gambling probe. Last season Beasley signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons and had a big year – finishing the season averaging 16.3 points per game, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists, and was looking to cash in on a multi-year deal. Beasley is waiting on full clearance from the NBA before he can resume his career.
Sportsbook Flagged Suspicious Gambling
On Oct 10, Beasley said this: “The NBA is doing their own investigation now. The FBI has cleared. And, you know, as a league, they have to do that. And I respect that. Does it suck for me? Absolutely. I just want to hoop. But any day now. So just stick with it.”
According to the ESPN report on men’s college basketball betting, legal sportsbooks in the U.S. and Canada flagged numerous suspicious bets where gamblers consistently bet against the same small-conference teams in at least 11 games across six weeks last season.
The games, targeted by an alleged gambling syndicate, according to the report, were between early December 2024 and mid-January 2025, all while the NCAA and federal authorities investigate whether players and insiders were manipulating game outcomes.
Constant Betting Action
As U.S. states legalize sports betting, a huge portion of that wagering dollar has drifted to college sports, especially basketball (after football). A three-week betting frenzy happens during March Madness, of course, but during the season, college basketball games run several days a week, providing more consistent betting action.
The ESPN story quoted IC360, the global technology and advisory platform for integrity and regulatory solutions in sports and sports betting, which monitors abnormal betting patterns with sportsbooks. Gamblers were betting big against the same teams and winning, in this instance.
Sometimes, punters popped up with fresh sportsbook accounts or came back after a long hiatus to put down unusually big or back-to-back bets on the first half spreads of games, the records in the ESPN reporting show.
Unusually Big Bets
One of the sportsbooks flagged Marves Fairley, from Mississippi, who sells betting picks online as the “main syndicate suspect” but Fairley denied any involvement when contacted by ESPN. The games involve five of the six schools the NCAA says that 13 former players under investigation for participating in gambling schemes played for: Eastern Michigan, Temple, New Orlans, North Caroline A&T, and Mississippi Valley State.
Are we talking a small example of something that is more commonplace than most people realize, with hundreds of games, thousands of college athletes and gamblers, so widespread that it’s impossible to police all of it?
The ESPN report indicated that indictments are coming.
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