Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced a match-fixing case involving 17 teams and more than 30 players in the NCAA basketball league through a 70-page indictment. Chinese professional basketball player Antonio Blakeney led the match-fixing scheme from 2022 to 2024, and 20 of the 26 people indicted were players who played in the NCAA league in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons. The NCAA urged athletes to make wise choices to avoid losing their eligibility and requested that sports betting companies stop selling NCAA-related products.
A match-fixing scandal of unprecedented scale occurred in the National Collegiate Basketball Association (NCAA). In particular, it was revealed that as many as 17 teams were involved and well over 30 players were involved. As even those who do not play in the NCAA are systematically involved, the repercussions are growing uncontrollably.
According to American sports media outlet ESPN, federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania released a 70-page indictment on the 16th (Korean time). The recently revealed suspicions of match-fixing by the NCAA began in September 2022. It started with the persuasion of Antonio Blakeney (30), a former Chinese professional basketball player (CBA) and former NBA player, to participate.
Although they were not indicted in this case, the Blakeney group, which manipulated CBA matches, recruited NCAA players ahead of the 2023-2024 season. In the end, 20 of the 26 people indicted were former players who played in the NCAA league in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons. Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Kamian Sell, and Umar Kourey, who played until recently, were also named in the indictment and their players were suspended indefinitely. In particular, it was reported that Blakeney engaged in match-fixing from 2022 to 2024 while he was active in China.
Excluding the players, five people directly recruited players to participate in match-fixing and induced them to perform poorly. It is said that an order was given to lose the game by a larger score difference. In particular, bribes ranging from $10,000 (approximately 15 million won) to $30,000 (approximately 44 million won) were offered to players. They are all accused of match-fixing and financial fraud. Under U.S. law, the match-fixing charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, while the financial fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The NCAA also began to move busily. NCAA President Charlie Baker issued an official statement and emphasized, “We have begun an investigation into allegations of betting against players. We will continue to pursue it. We will urge all players to make wise choices to avoid losing their eligibility.” In particular, according to the American sports media The Athletic, Chairman Baker said, “We request that sports betting companies not sell NCAA-related products until more appropriate safety measures are in place. In particular, we hope that safe and transparent measures will be put in place to protect players.”
In the American sports world, the size of the sports betting industry has grown explosively since sports betting was legalized. As the ban on sports betting was ruled unconstitutional in May 2018, advertisements encouraging real-time betting were also featured on major American sports broadcasts, including the Major League Baseball and the NBA.
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