Federal authorities dropped a bombshell on Thursday, unsealing indictments against 26 individuals accused of orchestrating a sophisticated point-shaving operation that tainted dozens of college basketball games across the NCAA and even reached into China’s professional league. The scheme, which prosecutors say netted millions for illegal bettors, involved bribing players to deliberately underperform, ensuring specific outcomes that favored heavy wagers on point spreads.
This marks one of the largest gambling scandals in college sports history, dwarfing past incidents and raising serious questions about the integrity of amateur athletics in an era of rampant legalized betting.
The operation began modestly in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) during the 2022-23 season, where fixers reportedly rigged games with relative ease. “The only things certain in life were ‘death, taxes and Chinese basketball,'” one of the alleged ringleaders, Shane Hennen, texted a co-conspirator, according to court documents.
Emboldened by their success abroad, the group shifted focus to U.S. college hoops, recruiting a network of former players, trainers, and influencers with deep ties to the sport. Prosecutors allege that between September 2022 and February 2025, the conspirators targeted 39 players from at least 17 NCAA Division I men’s teams, successfully fixing or attempting to fix 29 games.
Bribes typically ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, paid to athletes on underdog teams to ensure they lost by wider margins than expected—often just enough to beat the spread without drawing obvious suspicion. In basketball, a single player can subtly influence the score through missed shots, turnovers, or defensive lapses, making it fertile ground for such manipulation.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the plot as “a massive scheme” that “enveloped the world of college basketball.” He noted that recruiters were selected for their credibility: “They picked these men because they were well connected… because of that influence, they added gravitas and legitimacy to the scheme.”
Among the key figures charged is Antonio Blakeney, a former Chicago Bulls guard who played in the NBA from 2017 to 2019. Blakeney allegedly collaborated with professional gamblers Marvis Fairley and Shane Hennen to kick off the CBA fixes before expanding stateside. Other recruiters included college basketball trainers Jalen Smith and Roderick Winkler, who leveraged their positions to approach vulnerable players. The indictment lists 15 former college players among the defendants, with charges including wire fraud, sports bribery, and conspiracy.
The schools implicated span a broad swath of mid-major programs, many of which lack the resources of powerhouse conferences to monitor such threats. The list includes Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Butler, DePaul, Duquesne, East Carolina, Fordham, Georgetown, Kennesaw State, Kent State, La Salle, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Ohio University, St. Louis University, St. John’s, SUNY Buffalo, Tulane, and Western Michigan. Several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were drawn in, including Alabama State, tying these institutions into the probe and amplifying concerns about exploitation in underfunded programs.
Specific players named in the documents include Shawn Fulcher and Isaiah Adams, former University at Buffalo athletes accused of rigging games in the 2023-24 season. Bradley Ezewiro, who bounced between four schools including Saint Louis University, faces similar allegations for the same period. In Louisiana, former players from Tulane, McNeese State, Nicholls State, and Northwestern State were charged, along with an ex-LSU standout. Prosecutors detailed instances like a $50,000 bet placed at a Kentucky casino on Southern Miss to beat Alabama State, and attempts to manipulate first-half spreads in games involving Louisiana-Lafayette and St. John’s.
Schools have responded swiftly, denying current involvement and pledging cooperation. Ohio University stated that none of its players, coaches, or staff were implicated, despite allegations of attempts to influence a 2024 game against Buffalo. DePaul and La Salle echoed similar sentiments, confirming no active roster members were named. Yet, the damage to these programs’ reputations could linger, especially as recruiting and fan trust take hits.
NCAA President Charlie Baker acknowledged the revelations in a statement: “The pattern of college basketball game integrity conduct revealed by law enforcement today is not entirely new information to the NCAA.”
He revealed that the organization had already completed or initiated investigations into nearly all the named teams and urged states to ban “risky bets” like player props. The NCAA’s enforcement arm has probed about 40 athletes from 20 schools over the past year related to betting integrity issues. This follows a string of penalties, including lifetime bans for at least 10 players this year who wagered on their own games or performances.
The timing couldn’t be more telling. This scandal erupts amid a surge in sports gambling since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to strike down federal restrictions, allowing states to legalize betting. Billions now flow through apps and casinos, but so does temptation for young athletes already navigating name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals that blur lines between amateurism and professionalism. Critics argue that aggressive lobbying by betting companies has prioritized profits over safeguards, creating an environment ripe for abuse.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who signed legislation legalizing sports gambling in his state, now expresses regret. “Ohio shouldn’t have done it,” he told the Associated Press last November, citing the overwhelming influence of deep-pocketed operators pushing bets on vulnerable people. DeWine praised his state’s early ban on collegiate prop bets in 2024 and called on others to follow suit after Thursday’s indictments. “This disturbing news reinforces that states across the country need to… ban collegiate prop bets,” he said.
This isn’t an isolated storm. Just months ago, in October, NBA veterans like Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones were among over 30 arrested in schemes involving illegal betting and rigged poker games with mafia ties. Baseball has its own woes, with Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz indicted late last year for bet rigging. FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey, a former Missouri Attorney General involved in the case, emphasized the investigation’s scope during Thursday’s press conference in Philadelphia.
Whispers in sports circles suggest this could be just the surface. With gambling revenue exploding—projected to hit $10 billion annually in the U.S. by some estimates—insiders question how many more fixes have gone undetected. The involvement of international leagues like the CBA hints at global networks, possibly linked to organized crime syndicates that exploit lax oversight in college sports. Add in the pressures on student-athletes, from financial hardships to the allure of quick cash amid soaring tuition costs, and the system seems designed to fail.
Prosecutors estimate the scheme’s bets totaled millions, but the real cost falls on fans, families, and the foundational values of fair play that built American sports. As trials unfold, expect more revelations that could shake the NCAA to its core. For now, the message is clear: without stricter regulations and a return to prioritizing character over commerce, the games we love risk becoming nothing more than rigged spectacles for the highest bidder.
