Nets and bets

At both the college and pro levels, gambling-related scandals are threatening to give men’s basketball a black eye.

Both the NCAA and Fresno State are investigating allegations that multiple Fresno State players placed “prop bets” on themselves. And the National Basketball Association is grappling with its own gambling-related probe. The scandals come amid the growth of sports betting nationwide and a decline of interest in men’s hoops: NCAA rules prohibit players from sports gambling in any form—and the NBA prohibits players from betting on league games—but some sports officials think regulators need to take a harder line.

Forbes describes a prop bet as a “type of wager on a specific part of a game that may or may not be related to the final outcome.” A bettor might wager on the number of points a basketball player will score in a game, a half, or even a quarter.

Though the Fresno State investigation into prop betting has been ongoing since at least mid-January, when the school quietly eliminated junior forward Mykell Robinson’s name from its roster, details about players’ alleged involvement in gambling only surfaced in late February. Since then, the Bulldogs have dismissed another player, senior guard Jalen Weaver, and suspended a third, Zaon Collins, in connection with suspected gambling activity.

Collins returned to action March 1, scoring 14 points in Fresno State’s loss to Boise State. The sophomore guard allegedly only bet on pro sports, not games he played in.

Robinson and Weaver, by contrast, stand accused of betting on their over or under totals in points and rebounding in Fresno State games. Given that Fresno State was just 6-25 (2-18 in the Mountain West Conference) as of March 10, questions exist concerning how much those players profited from the Bulldogs’ dismal season—and how responsible they are for it.

This isn’t Fresno State’s first gambling scandal: A federal grand jury investigated claims of point-shaving involving the Bulldogs in the 1990s but uncovered no proof of wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, over at the NBA, federal officials are probing allegations into a gambling scheme allegedly involving Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. The feds have already arrested the scheme’s alleged mastermind, Shane Hennen, who has not yet been charged.

The NBA has already slapped Porter with a lifetime ban for violating league rules concerning providing inside information to bettors, limiting his participation in games for gambling-related purposes, and betting on NBA games. According to The Athletic, Porter allegedly texted bettors about his intent to fake injuries so he could leave certain games.

As for Rozier, the NBA is looking into a claim that he faked a foot injury to leave a game in March 2023, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets.

The NCAA has advocated for banning prop bets on college players. In a statement to ESPN, it said that while “the [NCAA], conferences and schools are doing everything possible to protect the games and the students who play them, it’s clear the types of bets offered and the prevalence of unregulated betting markets impede our efforts.”

These scandals come at a time when the popularity of men’s basketball appears to be in sharp decline while the popularity of women’s basketball—pro and college—is rising. NBA viewership was down 28 percent as of November (although it has partially rebounded since then). And in college men’s basketball, marquee matchups like Duke–North Carolina and Kentucky-Arkansas have drawn smaller television audiences than in years past.