Federal Probe Expands into College Basketball Betting Scheme

Federal and NCAA investigators are stepping up their investigation into what they think is a planned gambling operation targeting men’s college basketball games during the 2024–2025 season. 

String of Odd Bets Across US Hints at Potential Game-Fixing Ring

Reports from inside sportsbooks and integrity alerts show a pattern of weird bets placed over six weeks, hinting at organized efforts to change game results.

Papers obtained through public records show that at least nine sportsbooks across 13 US states and one Canadian province noticed a bunch of strange betting behavior between early December 2024 and mid-January 2025, as reported by ESPN. People often placed these bets on first-half point spreads always against the same small-conference teams, and they kept winning.

The dodgy bets involved games with Eastern Michigan, Temple, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, and Mississippi Valley State, five of the six schools already tied to a different NCAA probe about 13 ex-players accused of breaking gambling rules. The oldest case they are looking at goes back to December 1, 2024. That day, people put a lot of money on Norfolk State to beat Stony Brook in the first half. Betting sites said that new accounts or ones that had not been used in a while placed several big bets within hours. Norfolk State beat the spread by halftime, backing up the weird betting pattern.

A few weeks later, Mississippi casinos spotted groups of gamblers showing up with cash in the tens of thousands. The internal incident reports show that big bets were placed on Tulsa and Wright State matches, both playing teams later linked to the ongoing probe. Caesars Entertainment, which runs several of the sportsbooks affected, started its own investigation and found links between the bettors. Within days, authorities arrested one person involved on charges of drugs and money laundering. This individual has since admitted guilt in a separate federal case.

Mississippi Tipper Gets Named in Growing College Basketball Betting Investigation

Investigators have turned their attention to Marves Fairley, a tipster and self-proclaimed betting advisor from Mississippi. Many sportsbooks point to him as a key player in the suspected network, citing his previous account activity. Fairley denies any involvement in point-shaving or betting on the college games under investigation, claiming his business sells picks.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania seems to be getting ready to file charges, while the FBI has talked to several college athletes as part of its investigation into possible game-fixing. IC360, a company that keeps an eye on betting integrity and spotted many of the suspicious bets, said that the teamwork between regulators and sportsbooks shows how strong a well-established betting market can be, even as it brings to light some concerning behavior.

The NCAA has asked more states to limit proposition bets on college athletes and to take tougher action against offshore operators. Officials stressed that keeping games fair requires teamwork among leagues, regulators, and the betting industry. As the new season kicks off on November 3, both federal and college authorities want to avoid another suspicious betting spike like last winter’s.