America’s professional and amateur sports landscape doesn’t have a gambling problem; rather it is finding solutions that are working to protect the integrity of competition.
Over the past year, American sports betting scandals have flooded news cycles across the country as the regulated gaming industry in the U.S. continues to mature and grow.
The industry reached new heights with the overturning of PASPA in 2018, leading to increased attention on a form of entertainment that was once deemed taboo. An industry that draws moral concerns also benefits state and local governments nationwide.
That same industry is also receiving backlash as a result of what seems like an influx of issues.
Gambling-related scandals aren’t a new phenomenon but the recent growth of sports betting and the popularity of athletes are increasing the attention drawn toward lapses of judgement within both amateur and professional sports. The general public may perceive recent gambling-related scandals as an attack on the integrity of competition but for some stakeholders in the gaming industry their discovery is an indication of strong oversight.
Gambling scandals are nothing new in America
Gambling scandals may seem like a new hurdle in sports but betting-related incidents have been a part of American sports long before the regulation of fantasy sports and wagering.
Most notably, the Chicago Black Sox scandal in 1919 raised the eyebrows of America when a group of players allegedly collaborated with a professional gambling ring. The players were accused of purposely blowing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for payments from the gambling syndicate. The scandal sparked a trial and the lifetime banishment of eight Black Sox players from MLB. It was also integral in the establishment of an MLB Commissioner with all eight players being acquitted at trial.
The Black Sox scandal gained national notoriety and placed gambling at the forefront of sports providing America with its first major gambling scandal tied to pro sports.
Decades later, American sports were still dealing with gambling-related scandals with college basketball and the NBA finding themselves in hot water due to integrity concerns.
In 1994, the Arizona State men’s basketball team found itself in controversy when several players were involved in a point-shaving scheme that impacted the outcomes of games.
The fallout had several players arrested and hit with conspiracy charges. Two of those players were sentenced to prison or probation for their role in the point-shaving scheme.
The NBA found itself entrenched in a gambling scandal in 2007 when former referee Tim Donaghy admitted to providing insider information to illegal bookmakers for payments.
As a result, Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in the scandal.
MLB, the NBA and college basketball have dealt with gambling schemes that have drawn media attention but do not give the full scope of betting scandals that took place before regulators and operators put monitoring services and player protection solutions in motion with the adoption of state-sanctioned wagering in markets across the country.
Wagering monitoring solutions are doing their jobs
The recent gambling scandals in the U.S. sports landscape are an indication of the protocols and processes required by regulatory bodies doing their jobs efficiently.
Each regulated gaming market in the U.S. is deploying systems to ensure regulatory compliance and fair play for online casino players, sports bettors and fantasy enthusiasts.
U.S. Integrity and its athlete-focused monitoring service ProhiBet are setting the standard for ensuring integrity in competition while exposing gambling-related issues in sports. The monitoring solution is helping bring to light issues that may have went under the radar before the requirement of player protection and compliance standards in U.S. markets outside of Nevada.
ProhiBet identifying issues may spark a new wave of concerns but it is an indication of monitoring solutions doing their job in a competitive and dynamic gaming industry.
Monitoring services discover an NBA gambling scheme
For example, the gambling scandal involving former NBA forward Jontay Porter came to light due to monitoring services, which flagged suspicious wagers tied to his player prop markets. Porter pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to conspiracy to commit fraud for providing insider information to a group of co-conspirators. Porter notified the co-conspirators of his intention to exit NBA games early due to injuries and illness.
As a result, the co-conspirators placed bets on Porter’s player props.
The bets were flagged by monitoring services leading to a report to the International Betting Integrity Association.
Had the monitoring services not been in place, Porter’s actions may have gone unnoticed. Porter received a lifetime NBA ban and the 25-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison.
Recent suspicious wagers outside of the NBA
Monitoring services, including IC360, identified suspicious wagers in college sports with the watchdog flagging suspicious bets for an Eastern Michigan basketball game.
Meanwhile, U.S. Integrity received alerts from multiple operators regarding irregular line movement and suspicious betting patterns for a men’s basketball game between Temple and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2024. The irregularities sparked an investigation by federal authorities into former Temple guard Hysier Miller.
More recently, IC360 alerted operators in July of an unexpected increase in action on first pitches thrown by two Cleveland Guardians pitchers. The suspicious wagers, placed in three different states, led to both pitchers being placed on non-disciplinary paid leave.
The monitoring services are practicing due diligence as intended to create a safe environment for bettors and the athletes that participate in competitions.
Education is key to prevention
Education has emerged as a key component to preventing gambling-related incidents with organizations like EPIC Global Solutions providing amateur and professional athletes with the education and resources to understand gambling harm and its consequences.
The NCAA is taking additional steps to provide education through its Draw the Line campaign, which informs student-athletes on the effects of betting and problem gambling.
Gambling scandals are nothing new and have continued amid ongoing changes throughout American sports. The services and solutions put in place by states, key stakeholders and operators to identify wagering irregularities are not finding new problems but identifying issues and schemes that may never have found themselves in the public eye.
