Another day, another sports betting scandal. Kash Patel and his FBI team are certainly justifying this month’s salary with all that is going on in the USA right now. Top basketball players, NBA coaches, and alleged mafia involvement, it has all the makings of a best-selling novel right there, not to mention the movie rights!
Sadly, they’re not the first pro players to cross the line.
Key Beats
- Sports gambling scandals show that even those in trusted positions are susceptible to the dark side.
- From Premier League and NBA stars to game referees and horse racing insiders, gambling scandals have hit every aspect of sports.
- Sports gambling scandals reinforce the need to ensure players practice effective, responsible gambling activities.
Inside the Biggest Sports Betting Scandals in History
Following the recent arrests of Terry Rozier, Damon Jones, and Chauncey Billups, and the FBI’s claim that this is just the start of a crackdown on illegal gambling, why are sports betting scandals rampant?
Gambling is an activity wrapped in chaos, but that isn’t reflected in the number of people who partake in it around the world. Since it’s a world where money, luck, and temptation are the cornerstones, it’s no coincidence that there are sports gambling scandals from time to time.
Crooked individuals do sometimes rig the game in their favor thanks to insider betting, money laundering, and match-fixing, leading to wild gambling scandals in sports.
Here are 10 of the biggest sports gambling scandals of all time, which rocked the bookmakers and sports fans alike.
Ivan Toney Soccer Betting Scandal (UK, 2023)
Brentford FC and England striker Ivan Toney was handed an eight-month ban from football in May 2023 after he admitted to 232 betting violations. It became a major sports betting controversy in the UK, and rocked the Premier League.
Between 2017 and 2021, Toney placed bets on matches involving his own team, including some where he placed bets on Brentford to lose. The Football Association (FA) initially suspended Toney for 11 months, but the striker was diagnosed with a gambling addiction by an independent commission, which reduced his ban to eight months.
Further punishment for Toney included a fine of £50,000 and a ban from training with Brentford until September 2023. This case drew huge media fallout and caused a controversial debate about player education and the need for clearer betting policies in football. His punishment reignited calls for the FA and clubs to do more to address gambling risks among professional players.
Calvin Ridley NFL Suspension (USA, 2022)
In another pulsating scandal, former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley found himself in the headlines after betting on NFL games while he was inactive in 2021. The league discovered that for five days, Ridley placed parlay bets, some of which involved his own team. The talented player performed the actions using a mobile app and was suspended for the entire 2022 season as a result.
The punishment cost him his entire $11.1 million salary. Interestingly, Ridley wasn’t playing at the time, as he had stepped away for mental health reasons. His case reignited conversations about league hypocrisy, with many pointing out the NFL’s growing ties to gambling companies despite strict rules for players.
Thankfully, after serving his suspension, Ridley was reinstated in 2023 and joined the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fresh start. His muddled story became one of the most talked-about sports betting controversies in recent memory.
Jontay Porter Lifetime NBA Ban (USA, 2024)
Jontay Porter was at the center of a shocking NBA betting scandal in 2024 while he played for the Toronto Raptors. A league investigation revealed that the then 24-year-old bet on NBA games and leaked insider information to known sports bettors.
Before a March 20 game, Porter allegedly told a bettor about his health issues, which led to an $80,000 prop bet that he would underperform. After the game commenced, the forward only played three minutes, claiming he felt ill.
An in-depth investigation by the NBA uncovered more than a dozen bets he placed through an associate’s account, including bets against his own team. Although none of his bets hit big, he had already crossed the line, and the NBA cracked down hard by issuing a lifetime ban. Porter’s case became the first major post-legalization scandal involving prop bets, raising fresh concerns about sports betting integrity.
Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Theft Scandal (USA, 2024)
Gambling in sports scandals reared its head in baseball, thanks to the LA Dodger’ Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The interpreter and friend had worked with him since his US debut, but ended up at the center of a major sports betting scandal.
Mizuhara was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off gambling debts. This was a betrayal of the highest order, and it rocked the gambling world, with people calling for an investigation into how Mizuhara’s activities had gone unnoticed for so long.
Thankfully, Ohtani was cleared of any involvement, but this incident caused major reputational damage and showed how even top athletes can be vulnerable to the people they trust most.
Calciopoli Football Referee Scandal (Italy, 2006)
In 2006, the football world was thrown into a state of turmoil. Turin giants, Juventus, who boasted world-class players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannavaro, and Lilian Thuram, were convicted of match-fixing and stripped of two Serie A titles. The club was eventually demoted to Serie B for the first time in its history.
Although the scandal also involved Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina, an investigation into tapped phone conversations revealed that the Old Lady allegedly selected favorable referees alongside rivals AC Milan. Milan, who finished second in the Serie A table, were docked 30 points, and the Scudetto went to third-placed Inter. The scandal, which marked a turning point in Italian football, resulted in lifetime bans for Juve’s general manager Luciano Moggi and chief executive Antonio Giraudo.
Pakistan Cricket Spot-Fixing (UK, 2010)
This was one of cricket’s biggest betting controversies when three Pakistani stars, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Asif, were caught in a spot-fixing scandal during a Test Match against England in 2010.
The players were paid to bowl a no-ball at specific times during the game, so gambling syndicates who knew about the setup could place huge bets on those tiny details. This incident sent shockwaves around the cricket world and stained the sport’s reputation. Butt was banned for 10 years (five suspended), Asif for seven years (two suspended), and Amir for five years.
NBA Referee Tim Donaghy Betting Scandal (USA, 2007)
In 2008, an FBI investigation exposed the involvement of Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy in one of basketball’s biggest sports betting controversies.
Over 13 years of refereeing games, Donaghy admitted to betting on games he officiated as well as passing insider information to gamblers. After confessing to gambling addiction and mounting debts, he was convicted and received a 15-month prison sentence, damaging the league’s integrity. The scandal fueled a major credibility crisis for the NBA and forced the governing bodies to tighten gambling policies and referee vetting.
Rugby League Betting Ring (Australia, 2014)
In 2014, the NRL handed out a series of suspensions after several players were caught betting on league matches. According to the NHL rules, betting on league matches is illegal for players. Manly RFC winger, David Williams, faced the most severe punishment, being suspended for the entire second half of the season. He had placed small bets on multiple league games, including ones he actually played in. Four other players were also caught and punished. They include:
- Ethan Lowe
- Cody Nelson
- Hymel Hunt
- Slade Griffin
These players received lesser punishments (two-week bans) because they only placed small bets on fixtures they were not involved in.
This occurrence pushed the NRL to implement stricter policies and tighten existing ones. They also ramped up betting education and monitoring across the league to help players steer clear of betting trouble in the future.
Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club Syndicate Bust (Hong Kong, 1996)
Asia is not spared in the web of sports gambling scandals. One of the biggest scandals to hit the continent happened in 1996 when 13 people, including current and former jockeys, were arrested for fixing horse races. The group was alleged to have taken HK$1 million in bribes to manipulate results in the bettor’s favor.
An all-action sting operation called Operation Green brought it to light that an organized ring was behind the scenes and used the knowledge for big betting payouts. The ICAC worked with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to hit the criminals hard and sparked a complete shake-up of betting oversight.
NHL’s Shane Pinto Gambling Policy Violation (Canada 2023)
The NHL suspended Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto for 41 games in 2023. While investigators did not find evidence that he personally placed bets on league games, the NHL issued a statement that he was suspended for gambling-related activity. Pinto apologized publicly, taking full responsibility for his actions, while the Senators backed him as a “valued young player” who made a regrettable mistake.
Conclusion
Once those dollar signs start flashing, almost anybody is susceptible to the dark side. Criminal activity and corruption are every bit as relevant in sports as they are in online casinos or politics. However, don’t let this discourage you from placing a bet, as thankfully, the scandals aren’t quite as common.
As a bettor, your power lies in staying informed, playing within your limits, and knowing when to walk away. To be safer, keep your wagers in line with your set bankroll, avoid people with connections to organized crime, and remember that responsible gambling rules are your best defense against the dark side of the industry.
FAQs
League regulatory bodies rely on a combination of data tracking, analysing betting patterns and even tip-offs from sportsbooks or whistleblowers to catch suspicious behavior. Once analysts catch something unusual, they pick it up and investigators follow it up.
It depends on the rules of the league or competition. For example, the NBA forbids players from betting or partaking in insider information, but it doesn’t forbid players from betting outside the league. This can be verified in Article 35 of the NBA byelaws. It’s a grey area, but what happens to athletes involved in gambling scandals shows that even innocent bets can bring trouble.
Licensed and regulated sportsbooks are one of the most important cogs in the machine for fighting illegal gambling. They are required by law to report strange betting patterns or large coordinated bets, hence why you need to bet at US legal betting sites.
Yes. If fans or bettors get involved in bribing players or leaking privileged information, they can face different charges from relevant regulatory bodies, including criminal charges.
Legalized betting can be said to have its advantages and disadvantages. It brings transparency and improved monitoring, however expansion and greater access could increase scandalous activities.
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