The popularity of gambling on the sport becomes more of a talking point as the NCAA men's college basketball season approaches (early November), and an ESPN report on an investigation into unlawful gambling highlights the dangers of combining sports and betting.

Beasley Study

Occasionally, stories come to light that truly highlight that.  NBA fans are now familiar with Jontay Porter, the former Toronto Raptor who was given a life sentence for betting on NBA games and shaving points during games involving his own club.

In June, ESPN revealed that Malik Beasley, a free agent at the time, was the subject of a federal gambling investigation.  Beasley signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Pistons last season. After a stellar season in which he averaged 16.3 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, he was hoping to sign a multi-year contract.  Before he can restart his career, Beasley must receive complete clearance from the NBA.

Suspicious Gambling at the Sportsbook

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.”

The ESPN investigation on men's college basketball betting states that during the previous season, regulated bookmakers in the United States and Canada identified a number of suspicious bets in which bettors regularly wagered against the same small-conference clubs in at least 11 games over the course of six weeks. 

According to the article, an accused gambling syndicate targeted the games, which took place between early December 2024 and mid-January 2025, as the NCAA and federal authorities looked into whether insiders and players were altering game results.

Continuous Betting

A significant amount of the wagering money has shifted to college sports, particularly basketball (following football), as more states in the United States have legalized sports betting.  Naturally, there is a three-week betting frenzy during March Madness, but there is more regular betting action throughout the season because college basketball games are held many days a week. 

IC360, a global technology and advising platform for integrity and regulatory solutions in sports and sports betting that keeps an eye on unusual betting trends with sportsbooks, was cited in the ESPN article.  In this case, gamblers were placing large bets against the same teams and winning.

According to the statistics in the ESPN reporting, bettors occasionally appeared with new sportsbook accounts or returned after a lengthy absence to place unusually large or consecutive bets on the first half spreads of games.

Strangely Large Bets

Marves Fairley, a Mississippi-based online betting selection vendor, was identified by one of the sportsbooks as the "main syndicate suspect," but when ESPN contacted Fairley, he denied any involvement.  Five of the six schools—Eastern Michigan, Temple, New Orlans, North Carolina A&T, and Mississippi Valley State—that the NCAA claims 13 former athletes under investigation for their involvement in gambling schemes played for are involved in the games.

Are we discussing a little example of something that is more pervasive than most people think, with thousands of college players and gamblers participating in hundreds of games, making it impossible to police them all?

There will be indictments, according to the ESPN article.