College point shaving indictments

[nelsonmuntz]

This could nuke the sport. The market of fans interested in buying tickets to or watching a scripted basketball or football game is pretty small.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I had a game a couple of years ago to complete a parlay where a team was up 10 with a minute left and I had them at -4.5. 3 separate players missed 2 free throws each (0-6) to win by 4. Not sure point shaving was involved, but that was one of my worst bad beats.

if you know you can still win and make some mistakes to blow the line, it could be tempting.

I would need a straitjacket after that one. Yikes.*

I lost a live bet on an Under last week because a team fouled intentionally while down 16(!) in the final minute. Makes you wonder if players or even coaches are manipulating spreads or totals.

*Actually, now that I think about this, that did happen to me. I had South Carolina beating the UConn women -4.5 or -5.5, and we cut like a 12 point lead to 4 in the final minute. I should have just bet the moneyline.

 

[Vowelguy]

Is it wrong that I’m upset that it’s all big east and mid to low majors #someonesaveus

Players getting NIL wouldn't want to risk that for some low/mid-level gambling money.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Weird how no power conference schools are involved

Exactly. It is hard to put enough action on a Nichols State mid-January game to justify the legal risk, but it is not that hard to put enough action on an SEC or Big 10 mid-January game to justify the risk.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Players getting NIL wouldn't want to risk that for some low/mid-level gambling money.

A major school game is a lot easier to hide the action on. $10,000 could move a spread on a low major game. You could hide $1 million on a major conference game.

 

[superjohn]

This could nuke the sport. The market of fans interested in buying tickets to or watching a scripted basketball or football game is pretty small.

It's been going on forever and people don't care. I would think gamblers would care but they're just throwing their money away anyways.

 

[FightOnCT]

Is it wrong that I’m upset that it’s all big east and mid to low majors #someonesaveus

Assuming Platt above is correct, DePaul is the only Big East school to be exposed. And they’re basically mid major anyways

 

[Kitaman]

I can't imagine what these kids are being offered to rig games and the threats that come with it.

 

[Husker Husky]

Wave your hand if you didn't see this coming when our leaders decided that gambling was an inalienable right.

 

[rashadray11]

It would be more suspicious if they played well.

I would like to nominate you for the best profile picture. Sad Husky on the CT flag is awesome

 

[WhereistheDove?]

This could nuke the sport. The market of fans interested in buying tickets to or watching a scripted basketball or football game is pretty small.

lol, this is quite an overreaction.

 

[John]

lol, this is quite an overreaction.

it's really not - gambling has nuked programs, so why not an entire sport.

 

[Lafayette]

It's a real problem. I'm a CPA and I see a lot of people now coming in with gambling wins and losses - some addicted to gambling - all ages and genders.

similarly I am an enrolled agent and many gamblers are asking about losses - keep referring them to hobby vs professional and if I don't see you on WSOP good luck passing an IRS audit!

 

[Vowelguy]

A major school game is a lot easier to hide the action on. $10,000 could move a spread on a low major game. You could hide $1 million on a major conference game.

And how much are the point shavers getting paid? Are they making a $1M over the course of the season?
NIL is guaranteed, legal money.
A player would need significantly more in gambling payments (vs NIL) to bear that risk.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

it's really not - gambling has nuked programs, so why not an entire sport.

Because it has happened forever and there have been scandals before, none of which have ever nuked an entire sport. The average sports fan probably won’t even read an article about this.

 

[superjohn]

it's really not - gambling has nuked programs, so why not an entire sport.

 

[Chuck]

I had some shady friends/acquaintances back in the day (my early 20s in the 90s). One of them got word that a couple guys on a lower level Big Ten team were shaving. I put $100 down on two games and won. I stopped after that.

Fast forward to the 4th or 5th game and a couple of the guys I knew took out most of their (small) savings. One guy "borrowed" like $10k from his parents without them knowing. We're all at a shore house getting updates on the scores from an espn ticker and planning on tearing up the bars with the winnings. The team is down big... but they start coming back. Apparently the coach pulled the two star players that were in on the shaving and the team made a valiant effort. Losing, but covering. Guys lost loads of money. I'm not sure I've bet on sports since then other than some group bets with friends while at casinos.

This has always happened, and it will keep happening. Ironically, what's hurting the game could help it. You generally need a good player to be the shaver. If a kid is making hundreds of thousands or more, he may be less apt to shave. And even the mid-majors may feel that they can make more money by performing well and transferring. I'd actually be surprised if there wasn't as much, or more, POINT (edited 😀) shaving going on in the women's game.

 

[Lafayette]

And how much are the point shavers getting paid? Are they making a $1M over the course of the season?
NIL is guaranteed, legal money.
A player would need significantly more in gambling payments (vs NIL) to bear that risk.

At some of those schools $1M for NIL is greatly exaggerated. Gimme a bag with $10k and I got spending money…NIL is deposited into bank accounts or at min a check but has to be cashed so cash is still king

 

[Deepster]

Newsflash: College sports is crooked. Always has been, always will be.

You can go back 50 years to players getting bags of money, girls, cars, etc. NIL helped with some of that, but I'm sure there is squishy NIL and non-NIL situations nowadays. You have recruiting violations, contacting players outside the rules. Coaches in cahoots with scumbag sneaker reps and agents. Players committing serious legal crimes (drunk driving, sexual allegations, etc) and somehow that getting swept under the rug.

The marketing of college sports is great with the yeah-rah-rah good ol' fashioned Americana playing to the masses...but make no mistake, it's always been and always will have a slimy undercurrent.

 

[Lafayette]

Newsflash: College sports is crooked. Always has been, always will be.

You can go back 50 years to players getting bags of money, girls, cars, etc. NIL helped with some of that, but I'm sure there is squishy NIL and non-NIL situations nowadays. You have recruiting violations, contacting players outside the rules. Coaches in cahoots with scumbag sneaker reps and agents. Players committing serious legal crimes (drunk driving, sexual allegations, etc) and somehow that getting swept under the rug.

The marketing of college sports is great with the yeah-rah-rah good ol' fashioned Americana playing to the masses...but make no mistake, it's always been and always will have a slimy undercurrent.

Can safely remove “college” and your post still rings true and broader.

 

[John]

View attachment 115994

you love professional wrestling, we heard you the first time.

 

[freescooter]

Finally an explanation for why DePaul is bad

Oh I think you got it wrong. What tipped the FBI off was that DePaul actually won a game. Nobody believed that happened without something shady going on.

 

[GlastonTim]

It may be the players that gamble are the ones approached, like Jontay Porter from the NBA.

 

[superjohn]

you love professional wrestling, we heard you the first time.

I love watching you make a fool of yourself, it never gets old.

 

[shizzle787]

If DePaul was the only team doing this, we could try (highly unlikely to be successful) as grounds to expel them.