NCAA Bans Three College Athletes for Betting on Their Own Games

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has issued permanent bans to three men’s basketball players after uncovering that the athletes wagered on their games and manipulated their performances to cash in on prop bets. This development aligns with the NCAA’s ongoing efforts to reduce the negative impacts of sports wagering on players.

The Players Deliberately Altered Their Performance Lines

Findings released this week by the NCAA Committee on Infractions involve former Fresno State teammates, Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver. Steven Vasquez, a guard from San Jose State, also drew the organization’s ire. According to the NCAA, the three athletes shared betting information and placed bets on games in which they were playing.

In January 2025, Robinson and Vasquez conspired to profit from Robinson underperforming on purpose in a regular-season game. Text messages obtained during the investigation revealed that Robinson contacted Vasquez, saying that he intended to miss the stat minimums for several categories. The two men, along with a third individual, pooled $2,200 on bets on Robinson’s “under” lines and collected nearly $16,000 in winnings.

Investigators found that Robinson had also placed approximately 13 daily fantasy sports prop bets over the course of the season, some of which included his own performance lines. Before a December 2024 matchup, Robinson placed multiple bets on Weaver after exchanging betting line information. Weaver, in turn, placed parlay bets for $50 on himself, Robinson, and a third player that paid out $260.

Integrity Mechanisms Detected Potential Match-Fixing

The NCAA learned of these violations after Fresno State and a sports-betting integrity monitor flagged suspicious betting activity tied to Robinson’s individual performance props. The organization’s enforcement team initiated an investigation and uncovered text records, betting slips, and financial transactions related to the scheme involving the players.

While Robinson and Vasquez refused to cooperate with investigators, Weaver accepted responsibility for his involvement in the scheme. However, all three players were declared permanently ineligible under NCAA rules that consider betting on one’s own games to be among the gravest infractions. With the US betting scene continuing to expand, this case will serve as a warning to other athletes tempted by easy riches.

The NCAA’s ruling comes amid rising apprehension about the impact of legal sports betting on college athletics. The association has implored state regulators to outlaw player-specific prop bets for college events, stating that this type of wagering presents incentives for match-fixing and creates risks of harassment to student-athletes. Prediction markets, with their murky legal status and lax regulations, present another rising issue.