Miami (USA), Jan 15 (EFE).- United States federal prosecutors accused 20 people of manipulating the results of university basketball games in the United States and professional matches in China, an investigation that coincides with other investigations into irregular betting in the NBA and the NCAA.
The defendants “participated in a point manipulation scheme involving more than 39 players from more than 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, who then arranged and attempted to arrange more than 29” matches for millions of dollars in bets, according to court documents collected this Thursday by US media.
Suspects in the FBI investigation include 16 former college basketball players, two coaches and two “high-risk sports bettors.”
The scheme began in September 2022 when the defendants bribed players from the Chinese Basketball Association to manipulate the results of their games so that the final margin of victory or defeat benefited bettors.
This conspiracy extended to the American college basketball league and affected games played by Western Michigan University, Butler, St. Johns, Tulane, East Carolina, McNeese State, Nicholls State, St. Louis University, Duquesne, Lasalle, Fordham, SUNY Buffalo, Kent State, Ohio University, Georgetown and DePaul, according to investigators.
The indictment comes three months after Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were arrested in October for alleged illegal betting in the NBA.
The NCAA suspended three college men’s basketball players last September for manipulating the results of games in which they participated, as concerns grow over the rise of sports betting and its regulation.
