Major NCAA Basketball Betting Scandal: 20 Charged for Rigging

On January 15, 2026, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia revealed indictments charging 20 people for operating an illegal betting ring.

The crime involved NCAA college basketball and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and it sent a ripple of shock through the community because no one really saw it coming — and if someone did, they clearly chose to look the other way.

What the Illegal Betting Ring Involved

From what the prosecutors revealed, the ring specializing in staged basketball matches appeared in 2022, and it covered the 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 seasons. Here is what we know about it at the moment:

• The ring followed the so-called point-shaving model, meaning that it paid specific players to perform badly.
• Once the players were bribed, people placed bets against this team, and when it inevitably lost, they earned money.
• 20 defendants have been indicted so far on charges of bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy.
• At least 15 out of these 20 people are former and recent NCAA college basketball players.

Some fixers were also charged: these are trainers and other people who participated in organizing the mentioned matches.

So far, there is evidence proving that at least 29 basketball matches were rigged over the years, with bribed players receiving from $10K to $30K for their involvement.

We don’t know how much money the organizers earned from their bets, but based on the sum of the bribes, it had to be a rather significant amount.

Over 40 basketball schools were affected, including mid-major and major conference teams like Tulane, DePaul, and Southern Mississippi.

The officials described the scandal as an international conspiracy, so it’s likely that еру residents of different states and even countries took part in it.

This is one of the largest sports betting scandals in the entire sports history of the US.

It threw a lot of shade on literally every other game, with people beginning to feel dubious whenever a seemingly strong player underperforms all of a sudden.

What Happens Now

This event serves as yet another reminder that the world of betting can be murky and dangerous at times, which is why you need to make contact only with those bookmakers you can trust.

Giants like Stake and Betway assume the leading positions in this regard: they’ve been operating for years, they are licensed, and they support a huge number of basketball events.

Stake, in particular, deals with crypto betting, so you can place your bets on its platform regardless of your location.

Find out more information about it if you want to make your betting experiences safer.

Meanwhile, we’ll have to wait for the results of the trial for the next couple of months at a minimum. Prosecution will give additional comments as more details emerge.